Living Hell
by Knights of Cydonian Starlight
Summary: What will Tezuka and his team do when their tensai tries to escape his living hell?
1. To Hell and Back Again

Sara: Hello everyone! This is my first multi-chapter fanfic! I'm very nervously excited right now, so... I'm not sure what to say.

Sky: Start with the disclaimer. Prince of Tennis does not belong to us, it belongs to Konomi-sensei. And by the way, why are you so nervous?

Sara: Because this is _my_ work, Sky. It's different for you, you only have to _edit_.

Sky: But they can totally flame my editing, though. Like if I didn't catch a mistake or something. Now, is there anything else you want to point out?

Sara: *sighs* Oh yeah, in some of these chapters there will be a quote in the beginning that is inspired by a song. Sky and I are very musically oriented, so the titles will have some sort of music/pop culture reference too. We also add a good amount of Japanese in this story, since the entire anime is in Japanese, so we will add notes at the bottom with translations. And I'm sorry for making Tezuka seem very un-Tezuka-ish in some parts. Gosh, I'm so excited I'm babbling. Since my chapters are pretty short, I'll try to get them up as fast as I can. What I do is I write the entire story first and then edit and publish as I go. I'll be starting school soon though, so it might be hard, but please bear with me... I hope this is good ~

Sky: Yeah... so while Sara frets about what you all will think of this, let's get into the story, ne?

Sara: *Sticks tongue out at Sky* Read and review, kudasai (please)~

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 1: Prologue: To Hell and Back Again  
>What he sees when he dreams hurts like hell and back. ~ Waiting Game, Yellowcard<p>

"WHAT THE HELL, ECHIZEN!" Horio screeched loudly, making Tezuka Kunimitsu want to cover his ears. He kept his expression unchanged, though, lest anyone _dare_ comment about it.

"ECHIZEN GO EASY ON ME!"

"Yadda."

Tezuka wished Echizen would just beat the kid. They were both beginning to get on his nerves. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine start to pulse at his temples. He had a freaking migraine and it was only _morning_ practice. Suddenly, he wished he could escape to the infirmary for a while so he could have some peace and quiet.

Someone small sidled up next to him, hands folded behind him as he rocked back on his heels.

"Ohayo, Tezuka," Fuji Syusuke said brightly, his usual close-lipped smile plastered on his face. Sometimes Tezuka wondered how his best friend kept on smiling, even when conditions were miserable.

"Why aren't you practicing?" Tezuka replied evenly. His nerves were nearly stretched to the breaking point from watching Echizen and Horio's match, Kikumaru's constant glomping of Oishi, and now Momoshiro and Kaidoh decided to argue about some bad line call.

"Twenty laps around the courts, Momoshiro, Kaidoh!" the captain barked irritably to the two regulars, tearing his eyes off of the two freshman players. With much grumbling, the bitter rivals complied, still managing to snap at each other while they ran. No matter how great at doubles they were together, outside of matches they were nothing short of unbearable.

"Saa, no morning greeting? _You're_ annoyed today, aren't you?" Fuji commented, still watching at the one-sided match.

"Ah. I'll be assigning laps to everyone soon. And you, too, if you don't get back to practice. You shouldn't let your guard down this close to the finals."

But Fuji didn't move as, once again, Echizen hit a Drive B towards Horio and, once again, the idiot boy failed to return it.

"You know, you shouldn't be condoning an unscheduled match between the freshmen?" Fuji noted, even though he was relishing in the Horio boy's distress.

"You're enjoying seeing that freshman struggle, aren't you?" Tezuka realized and nodded toward Horio, avoiding Fuji's question. He frowned, a usual expression for him. Seeing Fuji's smile widen by a fraction, he assumed that that was a yes.

The match finished with a flourish (6-0 to Echizen, no surprise there), and Echizen uttered his infamous catchphrase, "Mada mada dane."

Fuji laughed. "That kid never changes." Then, his expression turned utterly serious.

"Fuji?" Tezuka said. It was uncommon for the tensai of Seigaku to be so solemn, especially when he wasn't playing a match.

"Ne, Tezuka, do you believe in heaven and hell?"

"…"

The question caught Seigaku's Pillar of Support off guard, which was rare; he didn't know what to say. But Tezuka quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"That is an inappropriate question for practice, Fuji. Now if you don't have anything important to ask me, then get back to practice before I assign you laps."

"Hai, buchou." Seigaku's tensai grabbed his racquet and took a swig of water. His movements today seemed stiff, forced, unlike his normally graceful demeanor. Before striding away, he lingered for a moment and turned to face Tezuka again.

"I find that life is everyone's personal hell."

And with that, he turned on his heel and went back to practice.

./. .\.

"Practice is over!" Tezuka called over the din of the tennis team at the end of the afternoon's practice. "You may change and go home."

"Hai, buchou! Thank you for your hard work!" everyone chorused, and there was a rush to see who would get to the showers first. Only Fuji lingered behind, and Tezuka didn't really want to talk to him.

_Ne, Tezuka, do you believe in heaven and hell?_

The question radiated through Tezuka's mind for some reason, as well as Fuji's vague statement. While caught up in his thoughts, he hadn't realized that Fuji was beside him. If he weren't so used to keeping his emotions in check, Tezuka would have started, but he kept his usual expression on his face. Fuji chuckled anyway.

"Saa, Tezuka, aren't you going to shower?" he inquired, looking up at his captain innocently.

"Ah. I just don't want to be in there when it's so crowded."

"Saa, me too. I just wait until everyone's gone." Fuji hummed to himself as they waited for the clubroom to empty, and he watched thoughtfully when the regulars came out last.

"Oi, Echizen, wanna go out for a burger?" Momoshiro shouted to the puny freshman.

"Yadda."

"C'mon, Echizen, your sempais will pay for you if you don't have any money!"

"Aren't _you_ my sempai?"

"Why you – hey, Kikumaru-sempai, _you'll_ pay for us today, won't you?"

"Nya, nani?" Kikumaru whined, checking his wallet for his allowance. "I _always_ pay for you two!"

"But Kikumaru-sempai, that's how sempais _should _act," Echizen countered slyly.

"Nya, yadda!" Kikumaru shouted. He latched himself onto Oishi, who staggered at the unexpected weight.

"Eiji!" the fukkubuchou sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I will pay for _all_ of you today. So come on."

The seven regulars began to walk off, before spotting Tezuka and Fuji.

"Ne, Tezuka, Fuji, do you want to come with us?" Oishi called as he continued his attempt to pry his best friend off of him.

"Nya, it will be fun!" Kikumaru sang as he jumped off of Oishi and clung to Fuji. "Come with us, Fujiko, nya!"

"Gomen, Eiji, but I have to get home today. I have some… things to take care of," the tensai said. It seemed that only Tezuka noticed the slight hesitation in his voice.

"Nya, okay, next time Fujiko!" Kikumaru gave his best friend another rib-cracking hug before rejoining the group. Fuji neither confirmed nor denied this statement, but just waved goodbye to his best friend.

"And you, Tezuka? Will you come?" Oishi asked hopefully. The captain hadn't spent much time with the group since he had come back from Germany, so they all wanted to get together more often before the end of their senior year.

But Tezuka shook his head. "My mother is expecting me home for dinner "

Perhaps Oishi looked disappointed, but Tezuka may have been imagining it. "Okay, next time then."

"Ah."

The regulars left, leaving Tezuka and Fuji behind.

"Saa, I have to find a textbook that I left in a classroom before they lock up. I'll see you later, Tezuka," Fuji said with a vague wave as he turned to leave.

"Good night, Fuji. Lock the clubroom when you're done."

"Hai."

The tensai took off running, and the Pillar of Support went to shower. He let the hot water course over his sore muscles, easing his headache just a bit. Steam enveloped him and followed him around like a shadow as he wrapped a towel around his waist and got dressed.

As he was walking home, he realized with a groan that he had left his history notebook in the clubroom. Hoping that Fuji hadn't locked up yet, he half-ran back to school and skidded to a stop in front of the clubroom.

He could hear noises inside, so he assumed that Fuji was still in there. Opening the door just a bit, intending to duck out again if he saw Fuji changing, his eyes rested on a dreadful sight.

Fuji Syusuke sat on the bench, his clothes folded next to him, water pouring down his lean body into the towel that was wrapped around his waist. He was shaking, trembling from head to toe, and he clutched his chest like he was having trouble breathing.

Fuji was _sobbing_. The strong, smart tensai was_ sobbing_. Tezuka saw drops of moisture roll from his eyes to his chin, mixing with the water from the shower. He was shaking because he was sobbing so hard that he couldn't breathe. Tezuka had never seen the boy cry, never even _imagined_ it.

But the most shocking thing to Tezuka were the wounds that covered Fuji's back and shoulders, his chest and arms. Bruises, cuts, _scars_ adorned the boy like a pattern. Red, blue, purple, black, red, blue, purple, black. Tezuka shivered to think of who had done such things to his best friend.

Tezuka wanted to comfort Fuji so much, but he thought that he only would make it worse if he stumbled over his words. So instead, he shut the door quietly and walked away, like the whole thing never happened.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthor's Notes:

Yadda: Don't want to

Ohayo: Good morning

Mada mada dane: Echizen's catchphrase. Roughly translated it means "You still have a ways to go"

Hai: Yes

Buchou: captain

Sempai: someone who is older than you; it is an honorific to show respect? at least that's how Sara takes it

Nani: What

Fukkubuchou: vice captain. Forgive us for the spelling. Sky isn't so great at phoenetic Japanese.

Gomen: Sorry

Tensai: Genius. Also Fuji's nickname

If you need anything else explained please let us know! Thanks for reading! Review and give us some _constructive_ criticism, kudasai ~


	2. I'd Rather Not Talk About It

Sara: Sankyuu sankyuu sankyuu sankyuu for all of the feedback! I got several favourites and one review in just one night xx I woke up to find that and I literally screamed with joy, because you actually _like_ my writing :D So you're getting an early update since I already had this chapter handy.

Sky: So, all in all, Sara's very excited.

Sara: *Sticks tongue out at Sky* Yes I am. So with the disclaimer crap, Sky and I do not own Prince of Tennis, and we never will. I am actually very proud of this chapter but gomen ne, I hurt Fuji D: I hate doing that but I really like vulnerable Fuji xx And also, if you have any ideas for stories that you want to be written up, give them to me :D Before school starts I want to write as much as possible when I can.

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><p>And now for reviews ~<p>

Starry-Chan: Glad you like it! Sara's a fast reader too, she's sorry for the chapters that seem so short D: She's made most of them a bit longer than this one, but the next chapter is short short short so we'll update faster :) By the way, thank you for reviewing our other story! *eskimo kisses* We're glad you like it :)

Eru no Tsubasa: Thanks! We hope this chappie lives up to your expectations! xx

BlackCrowRaven333: Thanks for reading! xx We hope we don't disappoint!

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 2: I'd Rather Not Talk About It

Fuji Syusuke walked home rather slowly that day, savouring everything around him, from the cloudless blue sky above to the sweet smell of sakura blossoms in the air around him. He inhaled their clean scent, knowing that this was the last time he'd ever have such a pleasure again. While stopping to smell the roses, as the saying goes, Fuji thought of the words that he had said to Tezuka earlier.

_I find that life is everyone's personal hell._

It was true. Well, for him at least. He had been to hell and back in the past few years, and sometimes he wondered why he even tried anymore because everything just _didn't work_ when it came to the life of Fuji Syusuke.

His father was never really home, and when he was, he would beat Fuji relentlessly for the endless faults he found in his son until the latter passed out or begged for mercy. Fuji would hide the bruises and scars from his teammates by changing while none of them were in the clubroom and only allowing himself the luxury of tears when he was sure they were all gone.

His mother was always at Yumiko nee-san's house when she wasn't on some trip to France or whatever. She _fawned_ over his older sister. Not that Fuji minded, it's just that he wished that once in a while she'd stop by to see _him_ to say more than, "Hello sweetheart, how is school?" before leaving again. He hid his sadness by putting on a placid smile, so he always looked happy.

He loved Yumiko nee-san. He had always adored her for her talent at fortune telling, and her kindness (not to mention the pumpkin curry she made that he and his brother favoured); she was like the mother he never had. But then she was married to a wealthy businessman and she moved out, only to stop by once every few months to check up on him and the nearly empty house. He would smother his despair by reveling in other people's pain, watching them suffer as he had and _did_.

And Yuuta… Yuuta just hated him. Eternally overshadowed by his brother at Seigaku, Yuuta had escaped to St. Rudolph, where his talents would hopefully be discovered. Whenever he referred to his older brother, he called him "Seigaku's Fuji" with a tone of utter disdain. Theirs was a relationship that couldn't be salvaged. Fuji hid his guilt by gently teasing everyone around him, becoming an innocent sort of sadist, when really he was dying on the inside.

He had tried _so hard_ to be a good son, a good brother, but it just was no use. He couldn't seem to do anything to please his family… or his friends, for that matter. Seigaku's tensai can't be defeated, can he? But Tezuka and Shiraishi had beaten him… his once undefeated record was now broken.

He would always be number two, no matter what.

_Could_ _he_ have tried harder? _Could he_ have been better? He would never know.

Fuji found himself standing in front of his house. He looked up at the simple western-style building and thought, was it really home to him? A home is a place that should make a person feel comfortable, safe… he would never feel at home here.

"Tadaima," he called to the empty house when he stepped inside, listening to the echo that bounced off the walls. His voice didn't sound like his own, strangely hollow and lifeless, as though the deed was already done. He didn't expect anyone to answer, and a pang emanated through his chest as his thoughts were confirmed. Total silence greeted him.

"Okairi," he whispered to himself, flicking on the lights. He set his tennis bag on the floor and stared at the ceiling for a bit, breathing slowly and deeply, feeling the oxygen and carbon dioxide move in and out of his body. He wanted to remember this sensation, breathing. He didn't know why, but it was something that would comfort him when he…

Fuji straightened up and walked to the kitchen, taking notice of how his muscles moved under his skin, and how they obeyed his every will. Good. That would only make his job easier later on. His hands were trembling, and he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

After a few minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for: a steel kitchen knife with a gnarled wooden handle and slightly rusted blade that tapered to a sharp point. His mother had always wanted to get rid of it, but he had a task to do before it was tossed…

He laughed at how easy this was going to be. He felt the bubbles of air pop in his lungs, and he relished the sound. Was there any better, more healing medicine in the world besides laughter? He couldn't think of any.

Placing the knife on the counter, Fuji searched the fridge for some ingredients and came up with an armful of sticky rice, nori, and wasabi. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but he wanted to have some of his favourite and familiar flavours before…

No, he wasn't going to think about it. He wasn't going to chicken out now. He made his wasabi sushi and sat down with a bottle of Inui's Penal Tea that he had asked the other regular to give him. He smiled as he sipped the oddly-coloured liquid, remembering when Inui was still manager and he'd threatened the team with his juices if they lost to each other or weren't trying hard enough during practice… Fuji winced, as he could still taste the sour Aozu in the back of his throat, but laughed again at the memory of his teammates', his _friends'_ faces as they downed the health drinks.

Once he'd finished his food and drink, he washed the dishes. It was oddly nostalgic, doing this familiar task. Memories from when he was a boy and both of his parents and his sister and his brother were still around flooded his mind, and he closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids he saw the yellow apron his mother always wore in the house, and the way she blushed a lovely shade of pink when his father pecked her on the cheek. His sister giggled and Yuuta gurgled happily in his high chair; the scene was picture perfect.

Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth that had nothing to do with the Penal Tea, Fuji thought, _Nothing good ever lasts forever._

He went upstairs with the knife and bag, still in his uniform, and began to tidy up his room, another familiar chore. What was he doing, drawing his time out like this? Wouldn't it make everything more painful? Would he chicken out to wait for another day? month? year? No, it was now or never, and Fuji's only thought was _Now, just get it over with. Pretend it's a shovel opening the ground. _Finally, when there was nothing left to do and no time left to stall with, he drew the ugly knife to eye level.

He stood in the middle of his room. The curtains were pulled back so that he could see the full moon, ethereal and perfect against the sky. Something he would never be. Stars twinkled as if they were calling to him, and he opened his eyes, surveying the scene before him. Really, this wouldn't be such a bad place to go.

His breath was quick, like he was hyperventilating, but his hands were firm and steady on the knife. He was excited, energized, waiting for the end.

With a final breath, he held the dagger in both hands and plunged it into his stomach.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthor's Notes:

During the semifinals with Shitehonji, Shiraishi defeated Fuji 7 games to 6, even though Fuji revealed his improved Triple Counters. It was his first official loss. He lost to Tezuka, though we don't remember what the score to that game was. Fuji was crying after the match, saying that even though losing was awful, it was also the best feeling ever, or something like that. Weird, ne?

Tadaima: something to say when you arrive home

Okairi: something like 'welcome home'

Nori: dried seaweed

Inui's Penal Tea: a health drink that Inui threatened the team with when he was still manager. We're not sure if Tezuka is immune to this, since we know that he drank one of Inui's health drinks but his hand was shaking afterward. Fuji is totally immune, saying that it actually tastes _good_, and when Momo asks him why he tries so hard during practice even though he likes the drink, Fuji says that he enjoys seeing the others suffer more. (can you say sadism?)

Aozu: A blue, cod liver oil and vinegar drink. It seems to be the only one of Inui's drinks that Fuji cannot stomach, which he drank after the bowling tournament (which Katsuo and Kachiro won, but they had to drink one of Inui's other drinks as their *prize*). Fuji likes all of Inui's other drinks because he likes spicy things, but Aozu is too sour for him. Fuji still holds a grudge to Inui for this, so the next time they do a tournament he chooses billiards, which he is already skilled at. However, Echizen ends up beating him by using his specialty tennis shots on the table, but Fuji doesn't have to drink Aozu again because he didn't commit the three fouls that would deem the player *worthy* of drinking a pitcher of the health juice.

Sara was also thinking to do something like a companion to this story. She hates the fact that killing Fuji might be necessary in the plot, so she's thinking about putting a different spin on the story. And the story would have a bit of yaoi in it, because Sara really really really wants to write some Perfect Pair/Golden Pair fluff. We also think it will be in Tezuka's point of view. So yeah... let us know what you think about the idea.

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><p>Sara: Cliffhanger! Sorry for the long Author's notes, I just love this show so much xx And again, gomen ne for hurting Fuji xx Reviews are always welcome! I've turned Anonymous Reviews on too, so if you don't have an account you can drop a word too. Your feedback gives me incentive to update faster :)~ And don't forget to tell us about my idea of a companion story! Domo ;D xx<p> 


	3. Telephone

Sara: Hi everyone! Another short chapter coming your way! Pretty bad, seeing that it's only really a filler. But anyway... enjoy!

Sky: Isn't there something you want to tell them?

Sara: OH YEAH! I made the tennis team for my school *squee* I'm only a freshman so it's really really good :D

Sky: *pops a bottle of champagne*

Sara: *gasps* I'm underage Sky! I can't drink a whole flat of beer without stopping! (I am exaggerating. A lot. Sky's been sober for a very very long time and I'm very very proud of him *eskimo kisses*)

Sky: I can hold my alcohol well _and_ I don't drink nearly as much as I used to. Like a glass of wine a day, or whatever. And also... Sara's going to be on Junior Varsity... so she's like Arai, in a way.

Sara: *Sticks tongue out at Sky* I am NOT Arai in a sense that I'm not an asshole (except when he saved Kachiro from Akutsu). And I'm a FRESHMAN so Junior Varsity is really really good! What were _you_ when you were in high school?

Sky: ... I was buchou. I'm not called Tezuka for nothing, you know.

Sara: Fine, _fine_, FINE! You're freaking Tezuka Kunimitsu and Yukimura Seiichi combined! Pillar of Support and Child of God! So there! *sticks tongue out*

Sky: *sighs* A bit overdramatic she is, ne? Disclaimer: We do not own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Eru no Tsubasa: We know, it was an awesome match :D

BlackCrowRaven333: Nyaaaaaaaaa we're glad you're obsessed! We were obsessed while writing/editing this fic :D Fifty-four pages of writing in two days! Nearly the whole thing is done and edited now, so we'll update every few days if we can. *Eiji-like glomps and hugs*

hoshino: Waaaaaaaaaah we don't want to make you cry D: Well, in a sense we do but not in that way D: We're glad you like the writing style, but we're not going to say anything about the next chappie to give away the story ~

Kissy Fishy: Actually, Sara's always thought of it that way. But Sky was born a sadist, so he thinks that it's just the way Fuji is. Go figure.

phoenixfirekitsune: Lol we love cliffhangers. And yes we hate doing this to him, but that's how the plot goes, ne? Will try to work on a companion story soon, if not a completely different Perfect Pair story! xx

CrazyGirlInTheWorld: Sara: I'M SO FLIPPING SORRY! Sadly I cannot control my muse D: Fujiko-chan is quite literally my favourite flipping character in the world. SO I'M SO SORRY D:

fujiyuki: We're glad you like it! We might actually do a completely different Perfect Pair story, and we'll _try_ to make it in Tezuka's POV. You can see the plots below~

neumegami: Argh, we know that would be sad~ We are probs going to do an AU fic rather than a companion because 1. it would be aggravating to write because we already wrote the similar story once lol and 2. we just don't have time to do both, even though we would like to try it.

StarlightTango: Sara: The memory part was my favourite part of this chapter. And omg, you have absolutely no idea how much I love Fuji. I was crying half the time while writing the first few chapters of this story D: *hands you a handkerchief*

Sara: ~sighs~ I kind of knew I would get sorta flamed for writing that chappie D:

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 3: Telephone

"Tadaima," Tezuka said dully when he came home from another headache-inducing afternoon practice.

"Okairi, Kunimitsu. How was school?" Ayana, his mother, said dutifully as she added dashi to a pot of soup that would later be their dinner.

"Hn," her son mumbled in reply. It seemed he didn't really want to talk about his day, so she didn't press further.

Tezuka made for the medicine cabinet in his bathroom. After a few minutes, he found the bottle he was looking for and swallowed a handful of aspirin dry.

There was homework to be done, so he rifled through his bag in search of a subject that wouldn't make his head pulse worse than it already was. He finally settled with German, since he was pretty much fluent already, and began to dully relearn past tense verbs as the medicine slowly came into effect.

./. .\.

Half an hour later the Tezuka family sat at the dinner table, timidly sipping soup while chatting with each other; today the topic of conversation was Tezuka's health.

"… you need to be more_ careful_ when you play tennis, Kunimitsu, do you _want_ to _permanently_ damage your elbow? You _need_ extensive physical therapy, and you shouldn't use any of your special moves, Tezuka Zone and whatever, can you _imagine_ what would happen if you couldn't use your _dominant _arm anymore…? What were those German doctors_ thinking_, letting you _come back_ to play?" Tezuka Ayana nagged relentlessly, only worsening Tezuka's throbbing head.

"Now now, Ayana," Tezuka Kunikazu chided gently. For an old man, he still had a lot of influence in the Tezuka household. Ayana held her tongue, for which Tezuka was grateful. "Kunimitsu has always been careful, and anyway, his friends don't give him a chance to play anyway, ne Kunimitsu?"

"Ah." It was true that the other regulars rarely let him play; he remembered what Fuji had said to him during Seigaku's match with St. Rudolph in the beginning of the year.

_Ne, Tezuka, do you really feel like playing today? Because it seems you won't get that chance._

He remembered how Fuji played against St. Rudolph's Mizuki Hajime, who had taught his brother the Twist-Spin shot that would destroy his shoulder. He remembered how Fuji's anger seemed like a never-ending wave, how he could change the game's pace at his own will.

He remembered their freshman year, when one of Seigaku's nonregulars crushed the young Tezuka's elbow with his racquet. Fuji had helped him up and lent him a helping hand, fixing everyone else with an icy blue glare. They all backed up, terrified, at the menacing aura Fuji was emanating…

Then he saw Tachibana Kippei lying in a hospital bed, his injured leg propped up by pillows. Fuji had vowed to avenge Fudomine's captain, and his true self, his anger, had shown when he played against Kirihara Akaya of Rikkaidai Fuzoku, not the docilely smiling boy who attended class but stared out the window, the boy who often teased his friends innocently. He had humiliated and beaten Rikkaidai's Junior Ace using his rarely used Triple Counter Hakugei…

_Tennis should not be used to brew hatred._

"Kunimitsu, no mobiles at the dinner table," Ayana said crossly, pulling Tezuka out of his thoughts. Tezuka was so caught up in his reminiscing that he hadn't realized that his phone was ringing insistently. Ignoring his mother's half-uttered protests, Tezuka picked up. _Fuji Syusuke_, the caller ID said.

"Moshi moshi, Fuji?" Tezuka greeted in an aggravated tone. "There had better be a good reason for you to call me at this hour."

"Tezuka-san!" someone shouted from the other end of the line. The voice was familiar, like Fuji's yet somewhat deeper…

"Yuuta-kun?" Tezuka answered uncertainly. The younger Fuji sounded panicked, hysterical. He hadn't talked to the boy in nearly three years, so why would he call Tezuka now? And why would he be calling from _Fuji_'s mobile…?

"Tezuka-san!" Yuuta shouted into the phone, and Tezuka had to hold it a few centimetres away from his ear to preserve his hearing. "Tezuka-san, you must come over immediately, aniki… aniki has stabbed himself and… and he's asking for you! Please, come immediately!"

Tezuka's blood froze and congealed in his body. For a moment he sat paralyzed, his eyes wide, the hand holding the mobile shaking. Then, he lurched out of his seat and out of the dining room, much to his mother's chagrin.

"_Kunimitsu!_"

_My friend is in trouble! I need to save him!_ Tezuka cried in the back of his head, but he couldn't catch his breath in time to say it out loud.

"Let him go, Ayana," the eldest Tezuka croaked. "He needs to help his friend." Tezuka silently thanked the heavens that he had such a wise and intuitive grandfather.

He sprinted as fast as he could, knowing that if Fuji bled out it would be far too late. Tezuka certainly couldn't keep up his breakneck pace forever, but he was going to run himself into the ground trying.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthor's Notes:

dashi: a stock that is used as the base in many Japanese soups

Sara realizes that Tezuka Ayana sounds super annoying and whiny in this chapter. Gomen, but she found it entertaining to write nevertheless xD Sara also realizes that she may have screwed up/botched some of the quotes from the show in the story. Well... it's kind of Sky's fault, since he did the translations.

Fuji is very protective over his friends and family, especially his younger brother, Yuuta. That is why he is very... scary? when Yuuta, Tezuka, and Tachibana were hurt.

Hakugei: White Whale. Fuji's triple counter that uses the power of the wind to launch the ball toward the opposite baseline and then bouncing back for Fuji to catch. He first uses it in the series while playing Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Kirihara Akaya.

Moshi moshi: something to say when you pick up your phone

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><p>Bad bad bad chappie D: But on the bright side, we're going to be writing another Perfect Pair story soon (we hope, depending on how Sara's school situation goes), but we'll post some more chapters of this story first to keep you all appeased. Here's the title and summary we think we're going to end up writing with:<p>

Deception Is the Key to His Heart  
>Fuji Syusuke's title of 'tensai' is ripped away from him by a near-fatal accident. How will Seigaku's number two react to suddenly being labeled as 'average'?<p>

Or:

(Currently No Title)  
>As Tezuka struggles with his newly found sexuality, a pair of homophobic parents, a brainwashed best friend, and a cheating ex, who will be his shoulder to cry on?<p>

Or, do you think we should extend our oneshot, Click? (if you'd like to read it it's like 700 words lol)

Tell us what you think! We hope you enjoyed this chapter, keep reading and reviewing, you have no idea how much we love it ~


	4. Sunday Bloody Sunday

Um... what can we say but... en...joy? We don't think this is too much of a cliffhanger? Also we think this story is going to be about 18-19 chapters, depending on if we write a certain chapter out. And we might not be able to update for a while because Sara's electricity was knocked out by Hurricane Irene, and her laptop is running on low battery.

Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis, Konomi-sensei does.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Shuzuka: We're so sorry for cliffhangers D: We just love them too much. And Sara says thanks :) Congrats on being the only freshman Varsity player! We wish you all the best!

phoenixfirekitsune: Ohmigosh, we love dark fics, so we decided to write this... But we'll write a fluffier fic soon if any of you are interested ^^

fujiyuki: Again, so so so sorry for the cliffhanger. We kinda just wanted a filler so that we'd be able to update the next chapter without a huge wait.

hoshino: Wow thanks for pointing out all our mistakes! We're glad you like it, stay tuned! (Well, we hope you will!)

10: Thanks for the Japanese :) Sky is horrible at Romanizing the words lol. We'll try to edit when we have time. And yup, we're actually writing that one right now, so stay tuned! Though Sara just got surgery and is feeling absolutely miserable, so we don't know when that will be up :X

pdfish: Lol we realize that he should be going to a hospital, but the response time is very very very very delayed. Darn EMT squad.

Sara: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.

Sky: *covers her mouth with hand* SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 4: Sunday Bloody Sunday  
>He's trying his hardest, and the hardest part is letting go. ~ Miserable At Best, Mayday Parade<p>

The Fujis' house loomed in front of Seigaku's captain, seeming to taunt him. When his inhuman stamina seemed like it was about to fail him, Tezuka flung open the front door and threw himself inside.

He searched the first floor, the kitchen, lounge, dining room… Nothing. Then –

"Tezuka-san! Up here!" a voice shouted from the second floor. Fuji Yuuta's voice.

Tezuka took the stairs three at a time, nearly tripping and breaking his neck toward the top. Finally, he stumbled into Fuji's room. And the first thing he saw was blood.

Blood. Blood _everywhere_. Staining the once white sheets on the bed. Smeared against the walls and curtains. Pooling on the polished wood floor…

And Fuji lie amid it all, Yuuta shouting desperately for his brother to come back, to _please_ just _come back_, he couldn't lose him now. The hilt of a short kitchen knife stuck out of the older Fuji's stomach, where the blood was darkest and most concentrated.

"Tezuka-san!" Yuuta cried in relief. His hands were pressed against the bleeding wound, trying to hold the vital fluids that were keeping Fuji alive inside of him.

"Te-Tezuka?" A feeble voice called from the boy lying on the floor. He sounded so desperately weak, as though he figured that fighting Death's insistent grip was futile…

"Tezuka... you came…" Fuji whispered, and he flashed a bright smile in Tezuka's direction even when his vision was clouded with red and all he knew was pain.

"Fuji, oh God, Fuji…" Tezuka gasped, flying to Fuji's side and nearly knocking Yuuta out in the process. He stripped off his jacket, his hands deftly replaced the younger Fuji's, hoping, endlessly hoping, that he could save his best friend. Short, quick gasps could be heard from the dying boy. A cold sweat shone on his forehead, and his eyes were closed, those brilliant blue orbs that Tezuka may never see again hidden behind thick, wet lashes.

"Fuji, please, _please_," the normally emotionless boy beseeched. "Don't die, please don't die…"

His best friend chuckled, he _laughed_, even in his grave condition. "Tezuka Kunimitsu, begging, pleading for his friend to stay alive?" he murmured in amazement and chuckled again. "Who knew that Tezuka Kunimitsu actually _cared_?"

Tezuka would have rolled his eyes at the boy's usual teasing if it weren't for the fear that gripped his chest as Fuji passed in and out of consciousness.

"I just... We... we need you for the Nationals, Fuji. We can't win without you..." Tezuka lied uneasily, but Fuji didn't hear him. The captain's voice choked up toward the end of his insensitive statement and it faded away uncertainly as his best friend's breathing slowed as if he were being lulled to sleep.

No, Fuji had to stay awake, he just _had_ to. If he didn't… he might never wake up again. So out of desperation, not even taking into consideration that Yuuta was _right there_, Tezuka said, "Remember when we were first years, Fuji? Remember when we first met Kikumaru and Oishi and Inui and Kawamura? Remember that?"

"Ye-yes," Fuji whispered, his eyes still closed.

"Kikumaru wouldn't get off of you, and Oishi kept trying to pull him off, worrying if you were all right… And Kawamura just stood quietly in the background until someone gave him a racquet, and Inui was standing behind the fence, taking notes the entire time, remember that?"

"Mm…"

"And then in our second year Momoshiro and Kaidoh joined the team, and all they could do was fight and argue with each other, it must've annoyed the hell out of Yamato-buchou. But they made each other stronger, and even though they can't be friends they can still play doubles together…"

Fuji was barely there, his head lolling to the side.

Tezuka was babbling now. "And then Echizen came this year, and he surprised us all when he served that ball into the basket, and I decided to put him in the ranking tournament… He is just like me when I was a freshman, stubborn and callous… He will truly be Seigaku's pillar of support, he'll lead Seigaku to the Nationals again… that is if he doesn't run off to become a pro after his time at the US Open…"

Tears blurred Tezuka's vision as Fuji didn't respond. The boy's heart was still beating, his lungs still working, and Tezuka prayed to the heavens that they would hold out just a little bit longer…

"You _have_ called for an ambulance, right?" he whispered a bit hysterically to Yuuta after a long and painful silence.

"Of… of course! Before I even called you."

_Kuso_. How long could the damn ambulance take?

Yuuta looked as if he was about to faint at the sight of all the blood, but Tezuka wasn't going to let him escape just yet.

"Yuuta-kun, what happened?" Tezuka asked, his voice strained with worry.

"I… I don't know, really," the boy answered. "I just came home for a visit, and I didn't see aniki downstairs, so I assumed that he was in his room or something… Then – then I saw all the blood…"

Tezuka nodded, barely aware of the motion. Yuuta fled the room, and Tezuka heard him noisily emptying his stomach in the nearest toilet.

"Tezuka…" Fuji then whispered. He shuddered, and more scarlet liquid painted his pale skin.

"Fuji?" the other answered, desperate to keep the boy lucid.

Fuji opened his dazzling cerulean eyes and smiled vaguely at Tezuka. The captain was silent, waiting for Fuji to say something with bated breath.

Fuji's eyes finally rested on Tezuka's face, white as paper with worry and grief. His voice came out barely a whisper as he struggled with his last remaining strength, but the words still came out strong and clear.

"Thank you, Tezuka. Thank you for everything. But…

"This is my escape… from my personal hell."

And with that, he shuddered once again, and fell still.

./. .\.

_One day, Tezuka, you will become the pillar of support for Seigaku. Be their pillar of support, Tezuka._

_What did you mean by that, Yamato-buchou?_ Tezuka screamed in his head as he held his best friend's limp body in his arms. _I can help them win the tournament, but after that what? I can't save them from things like this? I can't save them from themselves?_

_The pillar of support._

_The captain of Seigaku._

_The pillar of support for Seigaku._

What did it all _mean_?

He could faintly hear Yuuta sobbing down the hall, but all of his attention was focused on the bloodless face of Seigaku's number two, Seigaku's tensai. A ghost of that last smile smile played at the thin lips, the eyes open and glassy, reflecting none of the light and energy that the living Fuji Syusuke had, now looking drained, done, _dead._

_This may be escape for you, Fuji, but what about us?_ The faces of all of Fuji's friends, Fuji's family, Fuji's _team_, flashed before Tezuka's eyes, and he wanted to be sick too.

_What about us?_

He wanted to scream, shout, sob in despair, but no, _no_, he was Seigaku's Pillar of Support, he shouldn't be emotional, he should be _strong_, strong for the team and strong for Fuji, he can't let them down now. He gasped as he felt a single tear course down his face, and it mixed with the already drying blood on Fuji's cheek.

Some time later, the EMT squad found Seigaku's tensai lying, apparently dead, in the pillar's arms.

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><p>Sara: ... Ohmigosh, I kind of hate myself for writing this chapter, but it was just SO GOOD and my muse wouldn't let me <em>not<em> write it. Gomen gomen gomen. I know you'll hate me too D': But please don't kill me, ne? Please? Then you don't get to see how the story ends D: *cries hysterically*

Sky: *sighs* I have to admit this was a very well-written chapter. Just please don't blame Sara for the plot because her 'muse' told her to write it. If anything, she would've fought tooth and nail to bring Fuji back. So she's on your side, we promise. *SPOILER* And just so you're not so discouraged, there WILL be Fuji moments later on. Not ghost Fuji, but REAL Fuji. This isn't a Supernatural fic. So stay tuned. *END SPOILER*

Sara: *sobs quietly in a corner* *sniff* Reviews *sniff* are *sniff* appreciated *sniff* (and please don't kill me, please please please) *cries some more*

Sky: *sighs again* Why do I always get the dramatic ones?


	5. Questions and Answers

Sara: Sorry for the (semi) late update D: I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not. I like some parts, but altogether? Not my best work. It's a bit longer than usual though :D Hope you enjoy!

Sky: I'm pretty sure it's just the police thing. Sara doesn't appreciate authority figures.

Sara: I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE THAT. KAY?

Sky: Sheesh, just joking. I think she's still a little testy from last chapter. And from losing power because of the hurricane. She's nervous you won't read/won't like the story anymore.

Sara: *sighs* *fumes* Anyway. Disclaimer: We don't own PoT, Konomi Takeshi does. Or The Kite Runner, because some of the descriptions are based off of Khaled Hosseini's.

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><p>Reviews~<p>

hoshino: Sara: Waaaaaaaaaaah I don't want to diieeeeeeeee! x.x There will be Fuji moments I swear. Just stick around, kay? It'll get better :3 *huggles*

The-Random-Stick-Person: Glad you like it! Read on, my friend ~

phoenixfirekitsune: Lol we just love those little cliffhangers too much. Hope you get your answers in this chapter. There will definitely be SYUSUKE moments though, and I guess Yuuta too ^^'

lemon-and-chai: Waaaah ~ We know we know we know. Sara was literally crying writing that chapter D':

Kissy Fishy: We are soooooo sorry for spoiling your dinner D: We want to make sure our little cliffhanger thingies don't kill our readers, so that's why we update so often. Now that Sara's power is back we can get back to our regular schedules again :3

fujiyuki: Yep, Yuuta called the ambulance. And we know, Tezuka's a big hardhead. Duh.

Eru no Tsubasa: Oh gosh, don't kill us! D: Then you won't know how the story ends D: And Sara says thanks! She's huge in obsessions too, but she got into PoT _because_ she plays tennis lol. So it's kinda the opposite.

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 5: Questions and Answers

An EMT managed somehow to pull him, _drag_ him away, from Fuji's body, Fuji's _corpse_. He – or she, for that matter, Tezuka couldn't focus his blank gaze on anything long enough to be sure – guided him out of the room that was now painted red with blood and into the lounge. Tezuka hadn't realized he was shaking uncontrollably until the male/female voice said, "It's okay son, it's okay, just relax and you'll be all right."

Why did it matter if _he_ was all right? What about _Fuji_? What about his _best friend_? His best friend who bled out in his own home, his own room, who wasn't breathing, was without a pulse, who was growing colder _every minute_, the boy – yes he was just a _boy_ – who had just _died_ in Tezuka's arms.

What could matter now besides Seigaku's tensai, who was dead?

"Fuji…" he managed to get out, and he choked on the name, fearing the worst.

"He's gone, son," the voice said. He couldn't breathe. "He's out of suffering."

Tezuka made it down the stairs, then, feeling solid ground, he collapsed and everything went black.

./. .\.

Tezuka woke up to find himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. Clear sunlight filtered through the closed curtains, basking everything in a golden glow. His head spun and his body ached as though he'd been sleeping in the same position for a long time.

_Could it have been a dream then?_

The phone call, the blood, the _body_… he certainly didn't have _that _vivid of an imagination, did he?

Jerking upright, the memories of the past night flooded his senses. Even without his glasses on, he could see everything so clearly. With horror, he could watch the scene through new eyes, could see the crimson blood thick against the floor, the ugly blade of the knife that pierced innocent flesh, could see his best friend smile for the last time…

He could hear the harsh, laboured breathing as his friend took in his last breaths, could hear the heart _pounding_ in Fuji's chest, desperate to keep him alive, yet ironically killing him even faster. He could hear the words, _This is my escape… from my personal hell_…

Then the smell, the smell of _blood_ assaulted Tezuka's nostrils. His head reeled and he felt sick. He ran to his bathroom and, seeing as he couldn't reach the toilet fast enough, leaned over the basin of the sink. But then he realized that he was only retching, and his head was reeling, and all he could see was _blood_. He fell to his knees and began sobbing without abandon. He heard a high keening sound that made his head pound, and after a while he realized that he was screaming. "I'm so sorry!" he shouted between every breath. "I'm so sorry."

What was he sorry for? For not being a better friend? For not being able to save him? For not reading the signs? For not being fast enough, smart enough, quick enough?

He certainly was no tensai like Fuji.

_I couldn't save him. _

_I couldn't save him._

_Why did you have to do this, Fuji?_ Why?

He didn't know how long his grandfather had been standing in the doorway, but when he looked up again he could see the aged and wrinkled face staring at him with compassion. Tezuka Kunikazu had never seen his grandson so distressed before, and he had never seen him without his usual serious outer shell. But now his grandson had witnessed the death, the suicide, of his _best friend_, and Kunikazu couldn't help but sympathize with him.

Tezuka glared at his grandfather, dared him to comment on his change of behaviour, but Kunikazu said nothing. So Tezuka got up and walked out, planning to get ready for school.

He was in his newly pressed school uniform, his Seigaku tennis bag slung over his shoulder. Tezuka walked through the lounge with the intent of leaving without encountering his parents or grandfather, but he stopped short when he saw who was sitting on the couch.

A police officer, in a dark blue uniform with a shiny silver badge pinned to the front, sat next to his mother. And they were both looking intently at him.

"Ohayo, Mother," Tezuka greeted his mother stiffly. He didn't acknowledge the officer.

"Ohayo, Kunimitsu," his mother responded. "I would like you to meet Officer Kichida. He would like to ask you a few questions about last night."

"Excuse me, Mother, Kichida-san, but I would like to get to morning practice. And I would not want to be late for any of my classes." Tezuka addressed them formally, but even he could hear the contempt dripping from his tone.

"I have contacted Ryuzaki-sensei and the principal, and they understand. You are excused from practice and classes today."

Tezuka clenched his hands into fists around the straps of his bag and gritted his teeth. Did she not _understand _why he didn't want to talk about this? Why he didn't want to relive last night again?

"Please, have a seat Tezuka-kun," Officer Kichida said, and he waved a hand at the armchair across from the couch he and Tezuka Ayana were seated on. Tezuka sat down, his back rigid, and his hazel eyes hard as he glared at the pair across from him.

"You are Tezuka Kunimitsu?" the officer began.

"Yes."

"And you attend Seishun Gakuen, or Seigaku for short?"

"Yes."

"You are currently the captain of Seigaku's tennis team, which won the Kanto Tournament this year?"

"Yes."

"And Fuji Syusuke was your singles two player?"

It hurt that he used the past tense, but Tezuka bit back a retort and answered as firmly as he could, "He played singles one from time to time when I was having physical therapy in Germany, but yes, generally he was our singles two player."

The officer continued questioning in the same offhand tone, as if he hadn't heard Tezuka's reluctance to answer.

"What was your relationship with Fuji-kun?"

"We were classmates and teammates. We were best friends since freshman year." Tezuka held his tongue so that no emotion would seep through his tone.

"Had he ever talked about suicide before?"

"No." But then Tezuka bit his lip. Was it really lying, when Fuji only said that he thought his life was hell?

He had been so stupid to not realize what the underlying meaning of those words was.

"Can you tell me what happened last night?"

Again, Tezuka hesitated. What really _did_ happen? He was afraid of over exaggerating, or not saying everything quite right, or _something_. Maybe he was just afraid of the entire thing in general.

Yes, that was it. Tezuka Kunimitsu, the dauntless captain of the unbeatable Seigaku tennis team, the pillar of support for them, was afraid. No, he was goddamn terrified. He didn't want to relive the horrifying events of last night over and over again, until he himself would want to escape this living hell.

But his mother nodded him on encouragingly, and he swallowed. Then, he told them _everything_. Well, everything that he could tell them.

He told them about tennis practice that morning. He told them about how Fuji always tried to put on a brave front, even though he was suffering. He told them about Yuuta's phone call. He told them about running up the stairs to Fuji's room, walking in to all the blood and gore and his best friend _dying_ in front of his eyes.

But he didn't tell them the last words Fuji had said to him. He didn't tell them about the time that he found Fuji, his body abused and covered with scars, in the clubroom, sobbing his pour heart out, as he cried for his demanding father, his ignorant mother, his caring sister, his hateful brother. He didn't tell them how badly Fuji was _hurting_ inside, or that he knew Fuji played counter tennis because if he let his anger show on the courts, he would be unstoppable. He didn't tell them about how Fuji smiled and his eyes twinkled in the last seconds of his life. No, that was reserved especially for Tezuka, a memory that he would cherish and agonize over, always.

Tezuka finished, gasping for breath, trying _so hard_ not to allow the overwhelming wave of grief wash over him as he saw Fuji's lifeless form in his head, the normally brilliant, teasing, _alive_ tensai finally gone.

Officer Kichida stared at Tezuka with piercing green eyes and stood up. Both Tezuka and Ayana did as well, the former a bit grudgingly, and bowed to their guest.

"Thank you for answering my questions, Tezuka-kun," the officer addressed Tezuka.

"Ah," the boy replied, already shouldering his bag and preparing to leave.

"Where are you going, Kunimitsu?" Ayana called in despair as her son walked toward the door with the officer. "You're excused from school, remember?"

"I'm not going to school," Tezuka said in a flat voice. Before his mother could stop him, he was out the door.

./. .\.

His feet carried him for several blocks before they made him stop in front of a single house. It was designed to look like a simple western building, totally nondescript in this neighbourhood.

A strip of yellow police tape was fluttering against the door, barring anyone from going inside. Tezuka wavered for a bit, wondering if it would be illegal for him to suddenly walk into a police scene. But Officer Kichida had made it clear that the police thought that Fuji's death was suicide, so he assumed that it was safe to go in.

He took his house key and cut away the tape. The doorknob turned easily in his hand, and he noticed that his fingers were trembling on the cold metal.

He had an insane urge to run away, just turn around and _run away_. What would he gain by seeing his friend's room again, the room that was splattered with blood?

He just… he just wanted to see it, that was all. It was a whim, nothing to explain.

The house was eerily quiet, and he wondered if Fuji came home to this dead silence every day; it was a depressing thought. The living room and kitchen were totally clean – he subtly noted that a knife was missing from the block on the marble counter – as were the downstairs bathrooms. Only when he stopped in front of his stairs he saw traces of blood, probably from when he had been led away from the scene just a day or so before.

He padded up the red-spotted staircase, and opened a door that was two doors to his left. A now crooked sign on the door read, _Syusuke's Room_.

In the horror of the moment, Tezuka hadn't really gotten a chance to see Fuji's room. Even when he came over to study, they would always use the dining room so that they could spread out their books. He thought of all of the times that Kikumaru had been here for sleepovers or late-night study sessions, or just to stay up and talk with Fuji until both of their throats were raw. Tezuka's chest constricted, and he understood that even though he considered Fuji to be his closest friend, the tensai probably never thought of him that way. He was just too stoic, too tense, and too stiff. _That boy has a stick up his ass_, someone said jokingly about him once.

The room was glowing with the soft golden light of the setting sun. Along the windowsill, where bloodied curtains were drawn, sat a row of cacti, some round and short, others tall and slender, their prickly spines looking as benign as hairs. Fuji's Seigaku tennis bag was stowed under the desk, and there were textbooks and papers strewn across the desk. It was odd, since Fuji had always loved everything to be neat and organized.

The fact that Tezuka was now thinking of his friend in the past tense made his throat tighten painfully, and he fought for breath. He fell to his knees before the indistinct shape of dried blood on the wooden floor, remembering holding the same position that night…

The air around him turned solid. He wanted to reach out, to crush the air and shove it down his throat, because he couldn't breathe. It was one of those times when you're shaking uncontrollably, and somehow somewhere a dam explodes and a cold sweat pours over you like a raging river. You open your mouth to scream, but there's no breath in your lungs and you just keep inhaling and exhaling uselessly.

Was he going to suffocate? Was he going to die in this very same room that Fuji had died in just a day before?

Tezuka ran. He got up and ran as fast as he could, because he couldn't take it anymore, he didn't want to see the blood coating Fuji's possessions, he didn't want to see the dust that was already collecting on the comforter of the not-slept-in bed. He vowed not to stop running until the images that were burned into his retinas faded to black.

./. .\.

Tezuka walked aimlessly around the city, and everywhere he looked there were memories. Walking with Fuji, Kikumaru, and Oishi to the sports shop to get the latest tennis product. Watching Momoshiro and Echizen scarfing down as many burgers as they can at their favourite hamburger bar. Waiting by the street tennis courts because of some stupid ordeal with a "love rectangle" that never existed…

He passed Kawamura's sushi restaurant, and stopped in front of the door. He could hear enthusiastic voices inside, and the clanging of cups as people toasted to their health, their success, or whatever. Tezuka could hear the familiar voices of Kikumaru and Oishi, which were soon joined by Inui and Kaidoh, Momoshiro and Echizen, then Kawamura himself. These were his teammates, his friends, but Tezuka didn't feel like he belonged anymore.

Because really, they were just teammates. They only allowed him into their tightknit group because he was their captain, and he was a friend of Fuji and Oishi. Now that the former was gone and their time at Seigaku was nearly at its end, he couldn't help but wonder if they would really stay his friends.

Baka! He was thinking too much, wasn't he? Tezuka shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and walked on, trying to think of nothing at all.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthors' Notes:

From the last chapter: kuso: dammit/shit. Sara was too hysterical to do that note last time.

Sara always finds it amusing that in almost every fanfic story about Fuji, there is a mention of cactus/cacti. She just wanted to add that to our story too :P

Baka: idiot/stupid

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><p>Sara: Waaaah poor Tezuka D: He's got a lot to think about, ne? Sorry again for the cheesy chapter D: And by the way, if there are any pairings you want me to write for (Adorable, Silver, Tensai, etc. I'm not a huge fan of Echizen relationships but I'll do Thrill Pair too if you ask) then let me know. I'm mainly a Perfect Pair writer, but I want to write for others too :) Or if you want no pairings, AU, crack, let me know. Just gimme some ideas and I'll write :)<p>

Sky: Before she gets out of hand again, I'll sign us off. Reviews are always welcome.


	6. In the Mourning

Sara: Hi guys! Happy Labor Day! A pretty short chapter coming your way. Enjoy! (Yes we're updating at 5 in the morning, we have a full day ahead of us :P)

Sky: Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis or Paramore.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: You'll get your answer in this chapter. And kyaaaaaaaa Sara loves Adorable Pair :D We will try to start another story soon :D

The-Random-Stick-Person: Gomenasai! That's how the plot went when we wrote it D:

Kissy Fishy: Again, blame the plot bunnies! They wouldn't leave Sara alone D': And yeah, we know, Tezuka's just to stiff for his own good.

PS: We would really really appreciate it if you wouldn't flame us for killing Fuji. We don't mind if you say something like "I can't believe he's dead!" or something like that, but anything nasty will be deleted. You have been warned.

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 6: In the Mourning  
>In the morning, he will rise, and then realize he let his friend die. ~ In the Mourning, Paramore<p>

Tezuka went back to school the next day. He didn't care what his mother, father, grandfather, or any other fucking person in the world had to say. He was going to school, and that was the end of it.

He had spent last night torturing himself in bed as his mind brought up images of the horrific scene, and if Tezuka had eaten during the day he would have been sick. But he stayed still in bed, his fists clenched at his sides, holding back the bile that threatened to claw its way up his throat.

He got up and dressed earlier than he normally did, hoping to avoid the rest of his family and grabbing a granola bar and a bottle of water on his way out. He wondered dully if he could even swallow the food and water, when he stumbled across his grandfather, waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

Tezuka bit back the retort that died in his throat as he stared down the old man. His grandfather said nothing but stepped aside.

"Take care of yourself, Kunimitsu," Tezuka thought he heard him say, but then again, he could have just imagined it.

The trek to school was familiar, yet so different. Tezuka was used to Fuji walking with him to school, making small conversation or teasing him in some way. Now all that followed him was silence.

He made it to the courts much earlier than the other team members, and he was grateful for the quiet. He changed, grabbed his racquet, and made his way to the court, hitting some serves before he spotted Momoshiro's bike in the distance. Slowly, the other team members began trickling through the gates and into the clubroom, talking and laughing and obviously oblivious to their team member's death.

Ryuzaki-sensei must have been waiting for him to come back before breaking the she still hadn't showed up as the players began warming up, hitting a few balls here, practicing serves there.

"Nya, where's Fujiko?" Kikumaru voiced as he hit his signature Kikumaru Beam into the opposite corner of the court, leaving a nonregular flustered and gasping for breath. "It's so lonely without him!"

"He wasn't here yesterday either," Oishi, Seigaku's mother hen, responded, kneading his hands in anxiety.

Kawamura added, "I heard that he was sick with the stomach flu or something."

"Fuji-sempai needs to tell us before he decides to drop off the face of the earth," Echizen mumbled as he pulled his hat down to cover his eyes.

"There is a 100% chance that Fuji was absent for the same reason as Tezuka was," Inui supplied helpfully, giving his captain a curious look.

Tezuka wondered whether or not it was a good idea to tell the regulars of Fuji's death now. This close to the National Tournament finals, could they risk taking the hit?

Ryuzaki-sensei came just in time to pull Tezuka out of his thoughts. He noted that under her serious expression, she looked deeply troubled.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, will we tell them today?" Tezuka whispered.

"We can't keep it from them, and it's best that we tell them rather than their finding out later," the coach stage whispered back. "This afternoon we'll tell them."

The captain nodded, and he couldn't help but feel a squeeze of panic. What would he say to them? Would they blame him? Tezuka wondered if by the end of the day he would still have friends.

./. .\.

The school day passed by slowly for Tezuka. Each class he was in, he heard the teacher call Fuji's name from the attendance sheet, only to look up and realize that he wasn't there. They were all puzzled, since Fuji very rarely took a sick day. If only they knew.

./. .\.

Tezuka worried and fretted all practice, and when it was over he could feel his stomach flipping and twisting in knots. He somehow overcame his nerves and called for everyone's attention, he had something he needed to tell them.

There was a nervous muttering going through the entire team. But they stood where they were supposed to, regulars in the front and freshmen to the side.

Tezuka cleared his throat. "I am very sad to inform you that there has been a death among our team," he began. There was nearly an uproar, which Ryuzaki-sensei quelled with a loud "QUIET!"

"Wait!" Kikumaru called loudly after the ruckus calmed down. "Shouldn't we wait to announce this until Fujiko is here, nya?" He said it so innocently, genuinely… Tezuka couldn't help but feel a weight drop in my stomach.

"I am sorry, Kikumaru, but Fuji will not be joining us," Tezuka informed the acrobat. He _hated_ how he sounded so cold, so indifferent, but could he really convey his true feelings to them? Could he let his guard down now?

Kikumaru's voice shot up an octave, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. He already figured it out, it seemed, but he just didn't want to accept it. "No!" he shouted. "We have to wait until Fujiko's here!"

It pained Tezuka so much to tell them this way, and he tried to put all of his feeling into his words. "Fuji Syusuke passed away in his home two nights ago."

For one moment, there was dead silence.

Then all hell broke loose.

Kikumaru burst into sobs, no _wails_, as he took in the death of his best friend. Oishi comforted him, trying to sooth him, but his grief only grew louder. Kawamura, who was also a good friend of Fuji's, gripped his racket shouting, "BURNING! FUJI! IS! NOT! DEAD!"

Momoshiro swore at the top of his lungs, and Kaidoh yelled at him to be quiet and respect his senpais. Inui had dropped his notebook and pen, and was too numb to pick them up. Even Echizen couldn't come up with a witty remark. He just pulled the rim of his hat below his eyes, as if betraying any interest.

The older members of the team were shouting something, but Tezuka couldn't make out what, and the freshmen were clutching each other and sobbing.

Tezuka looked at this all, looked at his team and Seigaku family, with nothing but grief and mourning in his heart. He wanted to cry with them, to share their pain, but he was the pillar of Seigaku and he could not let them down.

"How did he die?" someone asked when the commotion died down again. The question was so straightforward that it made Tezuka flinch.

"Everyone, go home and get some rest. Regulars stay behind," the captain said wearily, not wanting to answer the question just yet. Tezuka felt so _tired_ all of a sudden, and he didn't want to think about what he was about to do. He saw everyone except seven leave, but he couldn't comprehend anything. It was as though his brain and memory were suddenly abandoning him at this last, most important moment.

The seven regulars gathered around Tezuka and Ryuzaki-sensei, their hearts heavy with the loss of their teammate, their friend, their comrade, their Fuji. Kikumaru was still sniffling, and Oishi held him up by the waist. Kawamura was solemn without his racquet and Momoshiro and Kaidoh weren't arguing for once. Inui wasn't taking notes, didn't even have his notebook in hand.

"Tezuka, how _did_ it happen?" Oishi prodded gently, still soothing a clinging Kikumaru. It seemed that everyone wanted to know the same thing, they were just too afraid to ask.

Tezuka looked to Ryuzaki-sensei, who shrugged at him. Apparently, she didn't know the details of the suicide, so she was relying on Tezuka to tell them.

Tezuka cleared his throat, and once again his courage failed him. How could he tell them? How could he tell them that he could not save him?

"Buchou, it's okay, you can tell us." If Tezuka hadn't recognized Echizen's voice, he wouldn't have thought he said anything. Echizen stood toward the back, his hat still tilted over his eyes. The fact that he, the most apathetic member of the group, _cared_, even just a little bit… it strengthened Tezuka's resolve. He cleared his throat again.

"Fuji… Fuji committed suicide. He stabbed himself in the lower abdomen. He bled out before the ambulance could arrive and was pronounced dead on the scene."

He said it all mechanically, robotically, but they understood. They understood that he was hurting as much as they were. Tezuka halfway expected for Inui to come up with some sort of statistic for Fuji's suicide, but the data man stayed silent.

"Why?" Kawamura finally asked timidly. It was Inui who answered him, since Tezuka's throat seemed to not be working properly.

"Fuji has always been put under a lot of stress at home. His father never acknowledges him, his mother and sister are never home, and his brother tries to pretend that he doesn't exist." The data man thought for a moment. "And after his first official loss to Shiraishi Kuranoske of Shintenhoji, it just might have pushed him off the edge."

_And to you, Tezuka_. Tezuka could hear the underlying meaning in those words. Because Fuji had lost to him, too. He knew that Inui wasn't trying to blame him, it was just a fact, a fact that everyone should see, that everyone should blame him for…

But no one said anything about it. They were all silent as they took in the loss of their friend.

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><p>Sara: Tezuka's such a block. Eiji made me cry. Wah D': Pretty lame ending, but I hope you enjoyed anyway! And I start high school tomorrow! Yay :D For that reason we might not update so often, since Sky has uni too. Gomenasai D: Oh, and also... can someone explain to me what visitors and hits are? I have an idea but it's still kinda fuzzy. Domo! :D Review please :)~<p> 


	7. Funeral for a Friend

Sara: Hi guys! I started school *squee* So excited. So anyway, here's another chapter of Living Hell! Enjoy! (PS it's a little sad. And Tezuka's a bit OOC. Gomenasai.)

Sky: Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review Time ~<p>

Kissy Fishy: There WILL be something after this. Sara promises. Just stay tuned! :D And thank you, your explanation makes sense :)

phoenixfirekitsune: Thank you so much it helps a lot! And we know, waaah for Eiji D: He's one of Sara's favourite characters so it was really hard writing that part of the chapter.

Eru no Tsubasa: Again we'll say that there are going to be Fuji moments later on, we just won't tell you how we write them just yet.

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 7: Funeral for a Friend  
>It's tearing his heart, because he couldn't save him. ~ I Couldn't Save You, Kate Voegele<p>

Two Sundays after telling the team about Fuji's death, Tezuka donned his best suit and tie, both black for the occasion. He nearly smiled as he thought of Fuji's teasing.

_Saa, Tezuka, has anyone ever told you that you look very handsome in something other than a tennis jersey?_

Tezuka missed his friend. Even though he tried his hardest not to show any emotion, to put that stoic mask on every single morning, he couldn't, he just_couldn't_ smother the intense pain he felt every day when he walked to school alone, when he stood on the courts just by himself while watching the team practice.

"Kunimitsu, are you ready?"

Tezuka looked away from the mirror for a moment to see his mother, looking pale and small in a simple black dress. His father was dressed in a black suit and tie, and his grandfather in a black yukata.

"Ah. I just need one more minute."

Tezuka looked to the mirror again, taking in his sharp, classy appearance, so different from his normal choice of wear. He attempted to straighten the darn tie once more, but giving up he padded down the stairs to attend his best friend's funeral.

./. .\.

It was raining outside. It was the kind of rain that would stop a tennis practice, Tezuka thought. The kind of rain that Fuji would have loved had he still been alive. Though dreary clouds hung in the sky like a veil, it was pleasant and warm, and the raindrops made soft _pitter-patter_ sounds when they hit the ground. Rainbow-coloured umbrellas spotted the sidewalk as Tezuka's father made hairpin swerves and turns, making the captain's stomach lurch every time they reached a tight corner.

When the Tezuka family arrived at the funeral home, they noticed the entire Seigaku tennis team standing rather uncomfortably in the small room that held the polished mahogany coffin. The regulars stood in the back, waiting for the room to clear up before saying a final goodbye.

The entire place reeked of disinfectant and formaldehyde, and the walls were an unpleasant shade of green, like something diseased. For the umpteenth time that week, Tezuka thought he was going to be sick.

Slowly the other members of the tennis team trickled out, allowing everyone more elbowroom. Tezuka's parents and grandfather strode up to the coffin to say a prayer and goodbye. Tezuka stepped back to be with his friends.

He looked them over, looking oh-so-different in black tie formal wear. Kikumaru was crying, big fat tears pouring over his cheeks, leaning on Oishi. The latter rubbed soothing circles on the acrobat's back, trying to calm him. The rest of the regulars were somber. Kaidoh and Echizen left their headgear behind as a sign of respect. They all looked polished and clean, but for some reason Tezuka felt that Fuji wouldn't have wanted it this way.

He would have wanted them to be in their regulars' jerseys, battling it out on the tennis courts. He would have wanted them to be training for the Nationals, to lead Seigaku to their first victory. He would have wanted Kikumaru to be happy, for Oishi to be following the acrobat around so the boy wouldn't disturb everyone. He would have wanted Kawamura to be screaming "BURNING!" with a tennis racquet in hand, and Momoshiro and Kaidoh to be fighting. He would have wanted Inui to be scribbling furiously in his notebook and Echizen to be making snarky remarks about everything. And Tezuka? What did Fuji want for him? To shed his mask, to be vulnerable, to actually _feel_ again? Tezuka remembered being on all fours in his bathroom, screaming,_I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!_

Maybe he didn't understand Fuji as well as he thought.

Fuji's family stood beside the coffin as people walked by to give their condolences and said their prayers. Fuji Yoshiko was rigid with anguish, her face in a tear-stained mask, as though she tried her hardest not to cry but failed miserably. Fuji's father looked quite bored, staring up at the ceiling. Fuji Yuuta had his hands clenched at his sides. He was shaking, drops of salt water pouring down his cheeks. The whole ordeal must have hit him the hardest, since he had been right there with his brother when he was dying. Fuji Yumiko held him around the shoulders, making soft, consoling sounds while she herself was weeping.

Finally, everyone else cleared the room and left the eight regulars standing in the back, waiting for their turn. They stepped forward as one and bowed their heads, each one saying a silent prayer.

Fuji's body was frail and fragile in death. The regulars only just realized how thin he actually was. And he'd been losing weight over the past years. A Bullet Serve from Momoshiro would have put him flat on his back.

But the other regulars didn't know what Tezuka knew. They didn't know that Fuji was being abused, that under the jacket and dress shirt there were bruises and scars painted on his body. They hadn't heard Fuji crying in the clubroom as Tezuka had.

A few honey-brown locks fell across the pale expanse of Fuji's forehead, some of them covering the closed eyelids. Tezuka was right; a mortician couldn't replicate the living Fuji. The curving on the right side of his mouth, a perpetual sign of a playful smirk, was replaced by a straight line, almost a frown, the carefree smile gone forever.

./. .\.

Tezuka, Kikumaru, Kawamura, and Yuuta ended up carrying the coffin through the procession. Mourners clad in black trailed behind them, sobbing quietly into scraps of lace or commenting about how much of a damn shame it was for such a smart boy to commit suicide at such a young age.

The four teenagers set the coffin on the mechanism that would lower it into the ground and stepped back to join the grievers. An old, wrinkled man stood up, cleared his throat, and began to drawl on about Fuji's life - as if he gave two shits in the first place, the regulars thought. Tezuka could barely hear his raspy voice, but he managed to pick out words like, "intelligent boy", "a terrifying enemy and fierce friend," "a true tensai". Tezuka looked at the now closed coffin, wondering if there would be a day when he wouldn't think back to this moment, or the moments in Fuji's room, or the moment when it seemed like the whole world stopped, Fuji Syusuke the tensai of Seigaku was _dead_. Only now did the other regulars allow themselves the luxury of tears, yet Echizen and Tezuka stood straight and stiff, their grief only etched on their faces.

The coffin was inched into the ground and came to a stop with a low _thud_. One by one, people dropped white roses on the coffin, so that they covered it like a massive white blanket. Tezuka was last, and he dropped his rose into the grave. The movement was so sad, so… _final_. He was the last person standing there in front of the hole in the ground. He could feel the rain soak through his jacket and into his shoes.

_The National finals are in a few weeks, Fuji_, Tezuka thought as he looked at his friend's resting place. _Once Seigaku wins, I'll come back to give you the medal, I promise you._

"Hey, Tezuka!"

Tezuka turned around to see the regulars waiting for him. His parents and grandfather had already left, knowing, Tezuka supposed, that he would not be coming home until the evening.

"Tezuka, would you like to come with us?" Oishi asked, wringing his hands as Kikumaru slumped against his shoulder. "We're going to Kawamura's for sushi, and you're welcome to - "

"I would love to come," Tezuka said quickly. He even curved his lips upward in an attempt to smile. Oishi looked delighted even though it looked like a distorted version of a grimace.

"Hoi hoi, is Buchou really smiling?" Kikumaru crowed, now back to his bubbly self. The acrobat really could be fire and brimstone one moment, and smoke and ash the next.

Tezuka realized his fault and frowned. "I wasn't."

"Yes you wereeeeeeeeeee! Who knew that Buchou _could_?"

Kikumaru glomped _Tezuka_, and even though the latter's first reaction was to throw the boy off of him, he let Kikumaru chorus, "Tezuka smiled, Tezuka smiled!"

Tezuka felt like laughing with the rest of the regulars as they walked to Kawamura's, Kikumaru still clamped to his back, still shouting on the top of his lungs. He let another smile grace his lips as he relaxed and had _fun_ with his friends.

But once they stepped into Kawamura's, the sushi restaurant totally empty, a wave of silence and sobriety washed over the regulars again. Kawamura's father stood behind the sushi bar, his head bowed.

Once he saw the eight teenagers, he put on a bright - but fake - smile and said, "Hello everyone. What would you like to have?"

When no one answered, Tezuka supplied, "Four trays of wasabi sushi, please, Kawamura-san." Then he turned to Inui. "Inui, do you have some Penal Tea on you?"

The older Kawamura nodded and ducked in the back to grab the wasabi, which he normally saved for Fuji's visits, and the data man Inui smiled.

"Of course, Tezuka." He grinned creepily, holding up a silver drink thermos. "I always have some on me."

"Nya, Tezuka, why are we doing this?" Kikumaru cried, cringing away from Inui. "We're going to annihilate our taste buds!"

"It'll be like a ritual," Kawamura mused and he almost almost smiled to himself. "We'll be having Fuji's favourite foods."

"Mou…" Kikumaru whined. He liked the thought of a ritual for his Fujiko, but he wondered whether or not he would survive another one of Inui's health drinks. He winced as he remembered the mouth-numbing sensation of Aozu, and he clutched his throat involuntarily.

Before long Kawamura-san brought out the sushi, and the Penal Tea was poured into little teacups.

Tezuka raised his cup, and the other regulars did the same. "To Fuji," he said.

"To Fuji!"

They all drank, shuddered, and gasped as the spicy drink hit their throats. But no one passed out, for which they were glad.

Then one by one the wasabi sushi disappeared, burning all of their tongues. None of them cared, though. They were willing to suffer for a few hours to pay their respects to their friend.

"Nya, how could Fujiko stomach this stuff!" Kikumaru complained after his tenth piece of the sticky green rice.

"Ii data. Tezuka seems fine, though his hands are shaking," Inui commented.

Tezuka grimaced; his body was on fire. Spicy food was an absolute abomination, but this was _his_ idea, so he intended not to let his guard down and suffer in silence.

"But Fujiko still couldn't take Aozu, nya!"

Oishi paled, but chuckled at the memory of their bowling tournament. "I suppose it was too sour for his taste," he allowed gently.

But then a fight erupted between Momoshiro and Kaidoh. The latter, apparently, was caught scraping some of the wasabi off of his rice.

"Respect your senpai and eat the goddamn wasabi, Mamushi!"

"Fsssh, and you're the one who always respects your senpais, peach head!"

Tezuka looked fondly at his teammates. He hadn't noticed that, over their years of being together, they were like his brothers now, their bonds thicker than blood. He leaned his head against the wall, and thought that he could let his guard down, just this once, as they remembered their lost brother.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthor's Notes:

Mamushi: Viper. Kaidoh's nickname. Given to him because of his various snake shots.

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><p>Sara: Cheesy. Cheesy cheesy cheesy. But oh well. It's what the plot bunnies told me to write xD I also don't know what kind of funerals the Japanese have, but I wrote it as an American one. I hope you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter, let's see how school goes! Review please :D ~<p> 


	8. Don't Let Your Guard Down

Sara: Ohaiii :3 School's started and life is my own living hell (see what I did there? I haz made a funny) BUT I will finish this story, and I will update every Saturday/Sunday. So yay :D

Sky: This is a tennis-centric chapter, but we promise that the next will be Fuji-centric. We told you there would be Fuji moments :P

Sara: Yay, Fuji! (hearts) Hope you enjoy this next chapter! It's based loosely off of the Sanada vs Tezuka match.

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><p>Reviews ~<p>

hoshino: There will be Fuji moments next chapter, so stay tuned! We're sooooo happy you like this :3

Kissy Fishy: *sniff* We know. And Sara has to do her homework after this too xD (irony? coincidence? whatever)

Eru no Tsubasa: *cries with you*

lemon-and-chai: We wrote a Perfect Pair one-shot that we're still working on editing, but we can't promise that it will be happy. It's... dark. But not as sad as this fic. ^^

phoenixfirekitsune: Ahh, Tezuka isn't out of the fire just yet ~ that's all we're saying. :X

By the way, sorry for the crappy witty humour. Sara isn't at her best when she's dead tired.

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 8: National Finals: Don't Let Your Guard Down: Momoshiro versus Sanada

Fuji's death had the opposite effect on the tennis team than what Tezuka initially thought. He worried that they would fall into depression and would not want to practice without Fuji there. It was true, there was an aching gap in the team that no one could ever fill. No one could imitate Fuji's light smile, his gentle teasing, his piercing blue stare.

Everyone trained harder than ever, and they all improved dramatically. Kikumaru trained with thin air so that he could conquer his stamina problem. Oishi did some stretches, and his wrist was fully healed. Kawamura now not only trained his strength, but also his endurance and speed. Momoshiro improved his Dunk Smash and Kaidoh his various Snake shots. Inui collected more data than ever so that his data tennis would be nearly infallible. And Echizen… well Echizen was always the exception. Tezuka looked over them all, priding in their improvement and sheer will to not let Fuji down.

It had been several weeks since the funeral, and Tezuka still had the dreams. The dreams of his father suddenly raising a threatening hand to him. The dreams of everyone abandoning him, leaving him for dead. The dreams of Fuji, so lively and vibrant, falling in his arms, soaking his clothes with crimson liquid…

He often found himself waking up at night, screaming, his mother bursting through the door and trying to comfort him, before he pushed her away and said he was fine, it was just a bad dream. But the dreams were still a reality to Tezuka, because he had _lived_ through them, and now he was living through them _every single night._

Tezuka still hadn't touched the jacket, shirt, and pants he wore that night, even though his mother had washed all of the remaining stains off of them. If he really thought about it, he thought he could still smell blood.

./. .\.

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

_Fight-o! Fight-o! Seiiiiigaku!_

Cheers from the two schools clashed in the huge stadium, magnified exponentially by the high domed ceiling. Tezuka and the seven other regulars stood in a corridor, waiting for their school name to be called. Their heads were currently bowed in a moment of silence as they remembered the teammate who wasn't there.

They all raised their heads at the same time, looking at each other across the circle they formed. Every one of the pairs of eyes read the same thing: determination and _victory_.

Tezuka spoke up. "Fuji is not with us today, but I'm sure as hell that he would want us to fight for this title that we worked so hard for. Let's not let our guard down. Let's not let _him_ down. Seigaku!"

"_Fight-o! Fight-o!_"

They broke the circle, now positioning themselves in a straight line. Ryuzaki-sensei nodded at them approvingly.

"Just try your best," she said. "And go fighting."

"Hai!"

Then a generic woman's voice sounded above them, making them all tense.

"Welcome to the finals of the Japanese National Tennis Tournament. Today's matches are between Rikkaidai Fuzoku - "

A deafening cheer sounded from the stands as the Champions for two years took their places on the court.

"- and Seishun Gakuen."

Another cheer rose, and Seigaku's fans answered in earnest.

The members of Seigaku stepped onto the court, momentarily blinded by the lights. They stood across the net from Rikkaidai's players, who were looking particularly intimidating that day. Niou Masaharu smirked as he twirled his bleached hair around a finger.

"So, your number two isn't here today? Your tensai? Shame, I was looking forward to playing him."

"Why you - " Kikumaru snarled. If Oishi hadn't held him back he would've pounced on Niou and ripped him to shreds.

The white-haired boy chuckled. "Touchy, aren't you?"

Kikumaru wanted to backhand him, to wrap his fingers around the boy's throat until he was begging to be let go. _How dare he!_ How dare he mock his best friend, his Fujiko! _Let me at him!_ he wanted to shout at Oishi. _Let me kill him, the spineless dirty bastard! _But Kikumaru continued to glare, and the judge spoke up.

"Captains, shake hands!"

Yukimura Seiichi sauntered forward, as did Tezuka. They shook hands briefly. Tezuka couldn't help noticing that Yukimura's eyes were a shocking violet-blue, almost like Fuji's, and like Fuji he wore a close-lipped smile.

"Good luck today, Tezuka," Rikkaidai's captain said sweetly.

"Ah. And to you too."

Yukimura beamed and stepped back. Tezuka did the same. The two teams bowed to each other, and with that the Japan National Tennis Tournament finals began.

./. .\.

"The first match is Singles 3: Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Sanada Genichiro versus Seishun Gakuen's Momoshiro Takeshi."

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

_Seigaku! Fight-o! Fight-o!_

Seigaku's number one rascal stepped onto the court, grinning at Sanada's awful haircut and dark hat. The Emperor's seriousness kind of reminded him of Tezuka, he thought as he looked into Sanada's calculating eyes. They shook hands and stood on their respective sides of the court.

"Will Momo-chan-sempai be all right?" Kachiro asked in the stands. "He's facing Rikkaidai's Emperor!"

"Momoshiro has incredible tenacity. He wants to prove that he deserves his spot as a regular and the Singles 3 player," Tezuka said. The boy looked shocked that the captain was talking directly to him. "He will be all right."

"One set match. Seigaku's Momoshiro to serve!"

"DORYA!" Momoshiro grunted as a Bullet Serve hit off his racket, destined to whiz by Sanada's ear.

But with surprising speed, Sanada returned the ball with ease. Momoshiro sprinted after the ball and just managed to hit it. The rally went on for several more strokes, until Momoshiro finished it off with his signature Jack Knife/Super Dunk Smash combination.

"Don," he smirked, pointing his finger audaciously.

Sanada wasn't fazed, and turned to stand just behind the baseline. Momoshiro served again, and was faced with another rally, which again ended in his favour. Soon, the first game was taken by Seigaku.

_Seiiiigaku! Fight-o! Fight-o! Ganbatte!_

"Change court!"

Sanada's serve. Momoshiro stood at the baseline, anticipating the infamous Invisible Serve…

And the ball rolled by his feet. Momoshiro hadn't seen Sanada's swing, couldn't even _hear_ the ball contact the strings.

_So the Invisible Serve is now silent, eh?_ he thought, gripping his racquet tightly.

Another Invisible Serve. Another ace. The game ended in Sanada's favour.

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

But now that it was Momoshiro's turn to serve, he would be all right, right? As long as he kept his service game and figured out a way to counter the Invisible Serve…

./. .\.

"Game, Rikkaidai Fuzoku! Five games to one!"

Momoshiro couldn't believe it. Sanada pulled out the Invisible Swing and Lightning on him, and now he was totally helpless.

From the sidelines, Yukimura chuckled. Then he said softly, "Using those moves just goes to show how much you're being pushed around, ne Sanada?"

It was true; Sanada was dead tired. His legs and arms ached from hitting so many of his specialty shots, and Momoshiro was barely sweating. Sanada may have speed, but he lacked greatly in stamina. During the next rally his arm jerked the wrong way, sending the ball skyward.

_Oh no_, he thought, backing up. _Dunk Smash!_

Momshiro ran up to the net and leaped, grinning now. Sanada prepared himself for an awesome smash, but instead Momoshiro smirked, turned mid-air, and gently tapped the ball over the net. Sanada was in shock.

With that shot, Momoshiro totally changed the momentum of the match. Though Sanada was able to capture another game, Momoshiro used his opponent's stamina problem to his advantage and caught up completely.

"Six games all! Twelve point tie-break!"

But Sanada wasn't going to give up yet. He pulled out all the shots, using his Invisible Serve and Swing, and the Lightning. But Momoshiro had increased his rhythm, capturing as many points as he lost.

"Twenty-five-Twenty-six! Rikkaidai Fuzoku leads!"

Momoshiro gritted his teeth. He was _not_ going to let this bastard take this point!

He served, hard and fast, into the corner of the court. Sanada returned it, and another epic rally began. The two players were far past their limits, but both were not willing to lose.

Momoshiro hit a chord ball, which teetered on the top of the net. The crowd gasped and held its breath, willing the ball to go one way or the other.

"On his side!" Sanada screamed suddenly. "Fall on his side!"

And sure enough, after a moment's silence, the ball landed on Momoshiro's side. The crowd erupted into cheers.

_Always win, Rikkaidai. Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

Sanada and Momoshiro walked up to the net and shook hands.

"Good match," Momoshiro said, still grinning. "It was a complete loss."

Sanada blanched, but still kept his stoic expression.

"I never want to play you again, Momoshiro Takeshi."

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><p>Sara: By the way, we wrote an Adorable Pair fic that's posted on our page. It's going to be about 3 chappies long, so we hope you check that out as well :3 (Especially for you phoenixfirekitsune :3) Review please ~<p> 


	9. Happy Birthday

Sara: Hey everyone! I promised Fuji moments, so here you go!

Sky: Since we assumed that you'd all get tired of reading about nothing but tennis, we decided to add these little short story scenes between tennis scenes.

Sara: They delve deep into Fuji's past ~ hope you enjoy!

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: Hehe, thanks for reading our other fic~ we're trying to put up another chapter soon, but alas, school sucks :/

Kissy Fishy: Oh, Niou will bleed for it... but we won't tell you who does it ;)

hoshino: The replacing of Tezuka with Momoshiro was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. But we love Momo, so we just had to give him his moment of fame ;)

Eru no Tsubasa: Lol we're glad you like the tennis scenes! We hope you like these Fuji scenes too ~

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><p>Living Hell<br>Short Story 1: Fuji's Eighth: Happy Birthday  
>Oh memories, where'd you go? You're all I've ever known. How I miss yesterday, and how did I let them fade away? ~ Memories, Panic! At the Disco<p>

"Happy birthday Syusuke!"

Fuji giggled and beamed as his mother and father woke him up and he saw bunches of presents in their arms. It was Fuji's birthday, it was on a _real day_ this year, and his family was celebrating. Normally Fuji would celebrate his birthday on the 28th of February or 1st of March, but he still considered himself only two years old.

Well, he was two years old today, at least.

Fuji ran down the stairs and into the lounge, where more presents were there, just for him. His siblings were sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

His sister reached him first and hugged him. Then his brother came over and, a little bit hesitantly, hugged his brother too.

"Come on, aniki, open your presents!" Yuuta said, blushing as his brother let go of him.

Fuji grabbed his younger brother's hand and pulled him toward the mountain of presents. "Only if you help me!"

So Yuuta and Fuji unwrapped gift after gift, revealing soccer balls, toys, new clothes, and books, endless books…

But finally, they reached the end of the haul, one small, thin package wrapped in blue wrapping paper precisely the colour of Fuji's eyes and finished off with a silver bow. It was so beautiful that Fuji was even reluctant to open it.

"That's from us, sweetie," his mother said affectionately, meaning his father and her. Fuji's eyes shone with excitement as he carefully unwrapped the gift, and gasped when he saw the frame.

"It's a new tennis racquet!" he crowed happily, assaulting his parents with hugs and kisses. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

It was a Prince racquet, heavy in his hands, and much too big for him to use. But he didn't care, he didn't mind, all he could think about was how much he _loved_ his parents.

"Wow…" Yuuta murmured as he saw the shiny new racquet.

Fuji took a practice swing and nearly toppled over with the weight. He would still use that racquet for years to come, even when he was fourteen.

"Can I play with it today, Daddy?" Fuji's blue eyes opened wide and pleading, and his father chuckled, patting his son on the head.

"Sorry Syusuke, but that racquet is far too big for you now. We got it for you now since you said you really want to continue to play tennis. Well, there's your incentive, if you continue to play then you can use that racquet."

Fuji pouted adorably for a moment, but finally said, "Okay! I will keep improving and playing so I can use it!"

Fuji Yoshiko smiled at her son, so innocent and young. "Ne, Syusuke, would you like to have breakfast? I made waffles with cayenne cream for you."

"Okay!" Fuji said, looking forward to the spicy cream more than the waffles.

They all ate breakfast – the rest of the Fuji family sans the cream – and piled into the car.

"Where are we going?" Yuuta inquired. He hoped it would be somewhere cool, like an arcade or a cinema.

"We're going to the marina, to see the fish," his father answered, twiddling the steering wheel once in a while.

"Oh, boy!" Fuji crowed in excitement, glad that he'd taken his camera, while Yuuta moaned. Yumiko chuckled at both of their reactions.

They arrived at the marina, and even Yuuta couldn't even make a bad comment about the place when they were inside. The walls were made of glass, containing the marine creatures and water like an overgrown tank.

The Fuji family _ohh_'d and _ahh_'d appropriately as they were cast under a blue glow. Everything shimmered in the light that was filtering through the water, and the sight was almost magical.

Fuji pulled his brother through the crowd of people to see what he had really been anticipating – the _jellyfish_.

"Aniki, why do you want to see the _jellyfish_? All they do is float there, and it's so boring watching them." Yuuta mumbled grumpily and Fuji pulled him in front of the tank of the jewel-bright creatures.

Fuji didn't know why he liked them so much, so he just settled for the first thing that popped into his mind. "I like them because they're like you," Fuji teased his brother. "Even though they can sting, they're really very soft."

Fuji could almost hear Yuuta roll his eyes at him, and he pulled his younger brother into a spine-crushing hug.

"I love you, Yuuta," Fuji murmured contentedly into the boy's shoulder. "Thank you for coming today, even though I know you didn't want to."

Yuuta, who usually didn't appreciate public displays of affection, tried to pry his brother off of him. But then he sighed and returned the hug.

"Love you too, aniki. Happy birthday."

And the two boys stood there for a while, watching the jellyfish bob in the tank parallel to the water's current.

./. .\.

They ate an eel sushi lunch at the aquarium's restaurant - Fuji's father had been tactful enough when his son asked for wasabi sushi, saying that they were all out of wasabi – and after that they walked around the city. After a couple of rounds around the park, they were all exhausted and wanted to go home.

None of them were really hungry, but there was still birthday cake to devour. Fuji nearly leapt out of his seat in his excitement and his mother came in from the kitchen with a beautiful cake adorned with candles and sparklers, a smear of icing on the front of her yellow apron.

"Make a wish, sweetheart, and blow out the candles," his mother whispered in his ear and kissed his forehead.

The boy was thoughtful for a moment, wondering what he should wish for. Fuji blew out the candles in one long breath, and he wished that his family would be happy and together… forever.

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><p>Sara: D'awwwwwwwww, FujiYuuta fluff chapter xoxoxoxoxox Review please ~


	10. Speak of the Devil

Sara: Here it is! The next installment of Living Hell. Thank you thank you thank you for all who reviewed! It really fuels us to update faster :3

Sky: Enjoy! Please read our author's note at the bottom ~

Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: Another Fuji brother chapter is coming up next! :3 In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this tennis-centric chapter!

hoshino: Hehe, these short stories are some of our best work in this story; stay tuned for another one next update!

Kissy Fishy: What do you mean by that, Fuji talking to Tezuka in his dream? ^^' It wasn't really in our plans for the story, but we'll see what we can do about it!

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 9: Speak of the Devil: Inui-Kaidoh Pair versus Yanagi-Kirihara Pair

"The next match is Doubles 2: Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Yanagi-Kirihara pair, versus Seishun Gakuen's Inui-Kaidoh pair."

On Seigaku's side of the stands, the data man and the viper began stripping themselves of their wrist weights. Kikumaru and Oishi were joking around despite the serious situation, the Golden Pair forever in synch. However, Inui and Kaidoh acted so… serious. Calm. Collective. It was especially unnerving for the rest of the team, who were on their toes in apprehension.

"Are you ready, Kaidoh?" Inui asked his protégé as he stood up and straightened his glasses.

"Fsssh… Of course."

"You'd better win, Mamushi!" Momoshiro shouted over Echizen's head. He grinned and grabbed the smaller boy in a headlock. ("Itai! That hurts senpai!")

"Fsssh, speak for yourself, peach head!" Kaidoh retorted and turned his back on his rival.

"Oi, you two!" Ryuzaki-sensei barked, nearly face palming herself. "Cool it!"

"Hai, Ryuzaki-sensei!"

The viper and the data master stepped onto the court, and the Seigaku crowd cheered them on.

_Let's go, let's go, Seiiiiigaku! Ganbatte!_

"So we'll see who's the number one data man, eh Sadaharu?" Yanagi said when they came to the net, his perpetually closed eyes surveying his friend carefully.

"May the best data man win, Renji," Inui responded, shaking his friend's hand.

Meanwhile, Kirihara was disgruntled. _He _should be the one playing Singles 2, not that _fool_ Niou, he thought. Only he, Kirihara Akaya, Rikkaidai's Junior Ace, could even _dare_ challenge Rikkaidai's Three Demons, and now he was playing _Doubles 2._ He was nothing short of furious.

"One set match!" the umpire called. "Seigaku's Inui to serve!"

"Let's win this Kaidoh," the data man said.

"Fssshh…."

Inui went all out on his first serve, the ball nearly disappearing in a torrent of what looked like water. The crowd was in awe.

"Ne, what's that serve called?"

"Did you see all the water?"

"We should call it… the Waterfall!"

"Hm, Waterfall," Inui commented, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "That sounds good, ne Kaidoh?"

"Fsssh… Sure," the bandana-clad teenager said indifferently.

Inui hit another ace, once again stunning the crowd.

"30-love!" the umpire called.

Soon it was, "Game! Inui-Kaidoh pair! One game to love!"

_Let's go, let's go, Seiiiiigaku!_

_Hm, so that's how it is, isn't it Sadaharu?_ Yanagi thought, eyeing his friend with a newly kindled interest. He genuinely appreciated how much his old doubles partner had improved in the past years. _Well in that case, two can play at this game…_

Yanagi served, and Inui thought, _Chance of serving into the right corner… 100%!_

Inui dove to the right, but Yanagi's ball bounced and flew to the left, out of Inui's reach.

_Nani…?_

"15-0!"

Inui was stunned. His best data tennis wasn't working…? He had known Renji since they were children, he was watching his back when they had played doubles together, and now with all the data he had collected, his friend had scored a point...?

Inui shook his head, trying to clear it. No, that point was just a fluke, just a fluke…

"Ne, why isn't Inui-senpai's data tennis working?" Katsuo asked, worry creasing his forehead.

"Because Inui's data tennis is very limited," Oishi said to the freshman. "If there is someone who can evolve during the game and change his style of play, Inui is totally helpless until he can collect enough data to play against him."

"Che. Mada mada dane," Echizen supplied with a cheeky smirk.

Apparently, Yanagi's shot wasn't a fluke. He targeted Inui by hitting to his weak spots, the spots that Seigaku's data man wasn't expecting, not even letting his friend _touch _the ball.

_The probability of a cross-court shot… 87%!_

"Game, Yanagi-Kirihara pair, two games to one!" the umpire called as the shot went down the line.

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

Inui surveyed his friend's expression, which was smug.

_I've got you cornered now, Sadaharu_, Rikkaidai's Professor thought with satisfaction.

"Kaidoh," Inui said suddenly, turning to the boy with the bandana. "I think it's time to pull _that_ out now, ne?"

"Fsssh… whatever you say, Inui-senpai," Kaidoh answered with a shrug.

_Nani?_ Yanagi thought. _What's_ that_?_

"Fsssshh…"

Yanagi got his answer as Kaidoh hit a forehand that finished with his arm wrapped around his body, his racquet resting on his shoulder. The movement put such a spin on the ball that it seemed the air around it whirled and twisted itself around the ball. It bounced just inside the singles court on Yanagi's side.

"What… what is that shot?" people were starting to ask.

"It looked like… a tornado!"

"It's the Tornado Snake!"

…

"0-15!"

_Nani?_ Inui thought. _He returned it…?_

Sure enough, Yanagi stood smirking, still in his follow through position as the ball rolled to Inui's feet.

"Wow!" someone whispered in the crowd. "That Yanagi returned Kaidoh's new Tornado Snake? He _must_ be strong!"

Kaidoh stood up, shock clearly on his face. He had never seen someone return his Boomerang Snake so easily, yet this… this Yanagi returned his new Tornado Snake? It was a hit on both his and Inui's confidence.

The pace of the game returned to Yanagi and Kirihara's favour, and soon they were winning with four games to one.

"Saa… I suppose this is it for us, Kaidoh," Inui sighed in defeat.

But Kaidoh wouldn't have it. "No, Inui-senpai, we aren't going to give up! We can't let them lose this easily!"

"Kaidoh…"

But the boy stood at the baseline, ready to return Kirihara's serve. A long rally became of it. But then, Kaidoh hit a forehand shot with such speed and power that even Yanagi couldn't return it.

_That's…_ Yanagi thought suddenly, _Hiroshi's Laser Beam!_

Meanwhile, the Gentleman of Rikkaidai, Yagyuu Hiroshi, sat in the stands, his eyebrows raised just slightly. He was thoroughly impressed, as Kaidoh only had used his specialty shot once or twice, and it had greatly improved since they had played doubles together.

"Fsssh… I told you we're not giving up yet, Inui-senpai."

Inui smiled at his protégé. "Certainly not, Kaidoh."

But then, a loud cackle resounded from the opposite side of the net, bringing them both back to the game. Kirihara was on all fours, his hair now stark white, his skin bright red, and his eyes bloodshot and menacing.

"Ahahahahaha! Do you really think you are going to win against me, Kirihara Akaya? The _only_ man who can take on Rikkaidai's Three Demons?" he cackled maniacally.

"That's… that's Devil Kirihara!" Niou whispered to Marui from the sidelines. "That Seigaku pair is really in trouble now!"

Inui and Kaidoh braced themselves for the wrath of Kirihara. Inui planting his feet behind the baseline, bending his knees so that he could return Kirihara's expected powerful shots.

But Inui wasn't prepared for the serve that headed straight for his face. He backed up yet wasn't nearly quick enough, for the ball sliced across his cheek and left a deep gash.

_Knuckle Serve…_

"Inui-senpai!"

The data man merely smiled vaguely. "It's all right, Kaidoh. I was just careless."

But the regular couldn't shake it off as 'just careless' when another of Kirihara's balls slammed into his shoulder. He thought he heard something crack, but was in too much blinding pain to be sure.

"Inui-senpai!"

"Kaidoh, just keep playing!"

Kaidoh could merely watch in horror as he saw his senpai being pummeled and beaten by Kirihara. His anger was enormous as he saw his friend, his teacher, his mentor, being hurt.

Finally, as Inui collapsed to all fours on the court, Kaidoh's last nerve snapped. His black hair turned brilliantly white, and his skin was dark red as blood pounded through his body. The whites of his eyes turned a similar colour, and he was Devil Kaidoh. He stepped angrily forward, toward Kirihara, his mind only determined to _kill_.

But a hand grabbed his wrist, restraining him. Then, a hoarse voice whispered, making him stop dead in his tracks:

"Stop it, Kaidoh."

Inui Sadaharu gazed up at his student, his protégé, his expression utterly serious and pleading. "Stop it, Kaidoh."

Shocked and hurt, Kaidoh slowly turned back to himself, much to Inui's relief.

"We're going to win this match, the _fair_ way," Inui said, and he somehow managed to smile through his pain.

Kaidoh nodded, rather uncertainly. "Hai, Inui-senpai."

He helped his injured senpai up, and Inui toddled forward, bending over to reach his racquet…

And then he collapsed.

"Inui!"

"_Sadaharu!_"

"INUI-SENPAI!"

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><p>Sara: D': WAH Inui! Sorry for such a crappy chapter, I couldn't get a lot of inspiration for this one. But the next chappie is going to be a Fuji-brother-centric short story, so hopefully that will make up for it :3<p>

Sky: We also started another Perfect Pair fic that's going to be our version of the movie _Pan's Labyrinth_, since Sara loves that movie so much. It will be more of a romantic/fantasy fic, so stay tuned! We won't upload that one until we're finished with this story, though.

Sara: Super-duper excited though, I like what I've written for that story so far :D Anyways, review please~


	11. Fall Out Brothers

Sara: Here it is! The next installment of Living Hell. It's another short story for you :D

Sky: We hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a Syusuke/Yuuta centric short story... but it's kind of a tearjerker at the end so... beware. Also, we wrote a one-shot for Tezuka's birthday (which was yesterday) so if you want to read it... stop by our profile :D

Sara: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUCHOU! xxx

Disclaimer: We don't own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: A tennis-centric chapter in a Prince of Tennis fic! Hehe ^^' Every other chapter will be a tennis-related one until the Nationals are over ^^

hoshino: We hope you enjoy this! And hehe, Niou will bleed next chapter, don't worry ;) You just don't know who will play yet!

Kissy Fishy: The tournament will not be completely like the show. I kept the doubles pairs the same, but singles will be different for the reason that Fuji isn't there to play. And I already wrote the entire story beforehand with no dream sequences, so... sorry I won't be able to use your idea ^^'

By the way guys, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for leaving your reviews. We're so glad we have some dedicated readers of this story, so... virtual cookies for you! :D

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><p>Living Hell<br>Short Story 2: Fuji's Eleventh: Fall Out Brothers

Fuji Yuuta was nothing short of excited to start middle school at Seishun Gakuen. His parents were arguing more and more often now, and he just wanted to get away from the house. Yumiko nee-san had already moved out to be with her boyfriend, so she didn't have to listen to the shouting every time she woke up in the morning, and sometimes while sleeping in the dead of night. And his aniki would be there, and he could play with him on the tennis courts to his heart's content…

He dressed in his new uniform and looked at himself in the mirror. The annoying scar shaped like an 'x' that was left from a bicycle incident was the only abnormality in his appearance. Yuuta had cut his light brown hair short, unlike his aniki who kept it chin length, and his gray eyes were unremarkable. He looked decent enough, though, so he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ohayo, Yuuta!" his mother said cheerfully when he walked into the kitchen. However, her expression was annoyed, as if she had had another argument with his father that morning.

_Again?_ Yuuta thought. But he greeted her politely nevertheless and went to sit across from his brother in the dining room.

"Saa, you're excited today, aren't you Yuuta?" Fuji asked his brother, his usual close-lipped smile on his face. The younger Fuji was fidgeting in his seat, and his eyes didn't quite meet his brother's.

"Weren't you when you started at Seigaku?" Yuuta snapped back, and Fuji just laughed.

They ate their steamed rice and fried fish and made to leave before their mother stopped them to give them their bentos and affectionately peck each of them on the cheek.

"Have fun today, you two," she said. "Good luck on your first day!"

"Arigato! Sayonara, Mother," the boys chimed tonelessly and they headed out for their first day of school.

The brothers walked together, talking once in a while about school or tennis or girls just to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Ne, Tezuka, over here!" Fuji shouted suddenly when they were a few blocks from their house. A boy with messy brown hair and frameless glasses walked up to them. His expression was stoic and utterly serious.

_If looks could kill_, Yuuta thought with a shudder. Hazel eyes bore into him as if they could see into his very soul.

"This is my brother, Yuuta," Fuji introduced warmly. "Yuuta, this is my friend Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"N-nice to meet you, Tezuka-senpai," Yuuta stuttered. The older boy surveyed him sharply, absently noting the tennis bag.

"Ah, yes you play tennis don't you?" Yuuta said, flustered and trying to make some conversation. The silence among the three students wasn't awkward, but he felt it was oddly bizarre that his brother and his friend always walked to school in this manner. "Aniki talks a lot about you – he says you're really good!" He hoped the compliment would soften the boy up.

"Ah…" Tezuka responded vaguely, and he didn't even look at Yuuta when he spoke. "Are you going to try out for the tennis team?"

"H-hai," Yuuta mumbled.

"Tezuka and I were regulars last year," Fuji added, and Yuuta started; he had almost forgotten that his brother was there since he had been so quiet.

"Ah."

There was another silence, and they parted at the school gate.

"Enjoy it here at Seigaku," Tezuka said offhandedly to Yuuta, who noticed that his senpai probably didn't even remember his name. "I'll see you later, Fuji."

Fuji nodded and looked at his little brother, who was trembling slightly. His smile widened a fraction at his brother's discomfort.

"Saa, Yuuta, Tezuka's not that scary. He's like that with everyone," he assured the boy.

"Who said I was scared?" Yuuta retorted and made for his classroom. He walked into class 1-17, as his schedule said, and the teacher immediately called for quiet. She paused over his name when she was doing attendance. "Fuji Yuuta," she said for a second time, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "You're Fuji Syusuke's younger brother, ne? I had him last year as well."

"Hai," Yuuta grumbled. Normally, he wouldn't mind being called Fuji's brother, but today it bothered him for some reason.

The teacher finished roll call and launched them into a lecture about Seigaku, all of the expectations, etc. etc. Yuuta's head lolled on his desk, and he was barely taking in a word the teacher said.

The lunch bell rang and Yuuta lurched out of his seat. He grabbed his bento from his bag and went to the cafeteria, wondering where he should sit.

"Yuuta! Over here!" his brother shouted, waving him over to a table where he and seven others sat. Yuuta hesitated, but joined them anyway.

"Yuuta, these are my friends from the tennis team," Fuji said. Yuuta could recognize two boys from his class, one with spiky hair and strange violet eyes, the other with a bandana that covered his black hair. "Everyone, this is my little brother, Yuuta." Again, Yuuta felt the same annoyance at being called Fuji's brother as he had in his first class.

But Fuji was busy introducing the seven others to him, so he tried to shrug the feeling off. "You've already met Tezuka, of course, but these are Oishi Shuichiro, Kikumaru Eiji, Kawamura Takashi, Inui Sadaharu, Momoshiro Takeshi, and Kaido Kaoru."

Once they had gotten through all the pleasantries, they shouted "Itadakimasu!" and dug into their food. Yuuta took one bite of his roll, shrieked, and spit it out into a napkin. Fuji looked at him in concern, and then looked at his food. Yuuta's was a strange shade of green.

"Gomen, Yuuta," he apologized, handing his brother his plain rice. "Mother must have mixed up our bentos."

"It's okay aniki!" Yuuta gasped, shoveling the pure white rice into his mouth. Fuji watched him carefully so he wouldn't choke as he dug into his own wasabi-infused food.

The rest of the day went by slowly for Yuuta. In every class, the teacher asked him if he was related to Fuji Syusuke and he would respond, yes, yes he was, with the same irritation as before.

What he really was looking forward to was tennis practice. This would be the first time he would be playing for a school team, and his stomach twisted into knots as he changed and walked onto the tennis courts.

He walked up to the coach in the pink sweat suit, and putting on a brave front he said in a voice in octave higher than usual, "My name is Fuji Yuuta, and I want to try out for the tennis team!" Just like he had practiced. The coach looked at him curiously for a moment and burst into a fit of mirth.

"I'm sorry Fuji-kun," she said, still stifling giggles, "but the regular positions are only for second and third years."

"But my brother and his friend were regulars in their freshman year!" Yuuta cried, confused. How could the rules bend for his brother? Was there some sort of misunderstanding?

"Your brother has an exceptional talent, as well as Tezuka. Did you know that your brother's nickname is tensai? And that Tezuka is already at National level at his age? That is why they were on the team last year, they were great assets to us." The coach looked at him condescendingly, as though he was just a child who asked if Santa or the mythical kitsune existed.

Yuuta looked at his brother and Tezuka, who were wearing regulars' jerseys and playing with other members who were at least twice their size. His blood boiled with rage. Fuji Syusuke, the _tensai_. It was so unfair that his brother had to be so _special_ when he was so _average_.

"Saa, Yuuta, what's wrong?" Fuji asked his brother as he rallied with the other regulars. Yuuta just scowled at him, and the older Fuji's eyebrows rose in bewilderment. He caught the ball that was moving toward his face and looked quizzically at his younger brother.

"Yuuta…?"

"Just leave me alone!" Yuuta shouted suddenly, making everyone on the courts stare.. "I'm _sick and tired_ of always being compared to you, the _tensai_ Fuji Syusuke!" And he ran off, fighting the anger and despair raging inside him.

"Yuuta!"

"Let him go, Fuji," Tezuka said in an undertone. He was still in ready position, never letting his guard down even when his partner was so distressed. "You can talk about it at home. Just let him cool down first."

But before Yuuta could get off the courts, he ran, literally, into a tall stranger. The man had short, ink black hair and strange blue glasses that covered his eyes. His jersey was draped over his shoulders carelessly, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest. His face looked like it should be in a perpetual smile like his aniki's, but now it was pressed in a tight frown.

"Yamato-buchou!" everyone chorused, bowing respectfully at their captain.

The captain didn't directly acknowledge his team, but merely waved his hand as an indication for them to continue practice. But Fuji looked at his captain and brother, his brow furrowing with worry and tapping his fingers against his thigh in anxiety.

"Now, Yuuta-kun, isn't it?" Yamato said, still frowning. "You must have known that regular positions would only be reserved for second and third year players, didn't you?"

"H-hai, buchou," Yuuta said, defiant at the condescending tone in Yamato's voice. The captain was also the first person today who didn't call him Fuji's brother, but by his given name.

"But my brother and Tezuka-senpai were on the team in their first year! How is that fair?" he argued.

"Your brother and Tezuka are on the team because they have proven to be remarkable in ability," Yamato responded. He noted the child's unhappy frown, the way he held his arms before him as though to shield himself. "Theirs is a special exception. And if you, Yuuta-kun, show the same promise, then you too will be on the team. Fuji-kun and Tezuka-kun worked hard to attain the level that they are at."

Yuuta wanted to shout that his brother never worked hard when it came to tennis, never worked hard at _anything._ It all just came so easily to him, so he didn't have to practice at all, just hit a few balls now again at the local tennis courts with some friends.

But Yuuta didn't know that his brother snuck out every night after everyone in the house was asleep. He didn't know that Seigaku's tensai would steal to the tennis courts, bringing only a racquet and a few balls and would develop and perfect his Triple Counters for hours into the night, until the sky was tinged with pink. He didn't know that his brother would run back home and get an hour or two of sleep before getting up and to get ready for school.

But Yuuta didn't know all of this so, livid with the unfairness of it all, he ran off without another word.

It took all of Fuji's will not to chase down his brother then and there. Where had all that anger come from? he wondered. Yuuta had never objected to being compared to him before, had he?

Or maybe he just didn't know his brother as well as he thought.

The other regulars were muttering around him, things about family cruelty and such. But then Yamato-buchou came up from behind Fuji and clamped a heavy hand on his shoulder. Fuji looked up into his kind face, his own cheeks warming a bit. Yamato-buchou normally watched practice in silence, only correcting tiny things like form now and again.

"Don't worry, Fuji-kun," the captain said genially. "Your brother will come around. I think this will only motivate him to get better."

Fuji smiled uncertainly back at his buchou. He got through the rest of practice somehow and raced to the clubroom to get changed. He asked Tezuka if he could walk home by himself and when Tezuka nodded in consent, he sprinted home.

"Yuuta!" he called, panting, when he threw the door to his home open. Silence greeted him.

"Yuuta…?" Fuji pushed open his younger brother's bedroom door and as a result got a tennis ball in the face. "Yuuta! What was that for?"

The boy slammed the door in his brother's face. "I'm transferring to St. Rudolph!" he shouted, his voice thick as though he'd been crying.

"Please, Yuuta, let's talk about this!" Fuji shouted back.

The door opened and Yuuta came out, his fists clenched by his sides, shaking with anger, his eyes swollen and red.

"I told you, I'm _sick and tired_ of you! Everyone calls you the _tensai_ and who am I? Who is Fuji Yuuta? Just the tensai's_ brother_."

Fuji stood shocked, as if Yuuta had just slapped him. His cheek stung where the tennis ball had hit him just a moment ago.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Fuji's voice was strained, as if he too wanted to cry.

"Because I tried to be _happy _for you," Yuuta retorted. "I tried to not care when I was called your brother, never by my name, only _Fuji Syusuke's brother_, but I can't take it anymore! I hate you, aniki!"

And he ran off, a bag over his shoulder. But Fuji caught him and held his wrist tight in both of his hands, begging him not to go.

"Please Yuuta, Yumiko nee-san is coming home tonight, can't you just wait until later to leave?" He was growing desperate. "She's making pumpkin curry, and I can make your favourite raspberry pie…"

"Yadda!" Yuuta said angrily. "I'm not going to be _bribed_ by you, Fuji! I'm leaving and never coming back! You'll see, when I'm on the tennis team at St. Rudolph, I'll beat you! And then nobody will call you tensai anymore!"

Fuji dropped his brother's wrist as though he'd been electrocuted. It was the first time in his life that Yuuta had not called him aniki, and he didn't even call him _Syusuke_, just _Fuji_.

Yuuta shot his brother one more look of contempt before disappearing into the night.

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><p>Sara: Wah D: Poor Syusuke. I really hate writing these sad chapters, but I. cannot. control. my muse. Otherwise this would be a fluffy Perfect Pair fic... So yeah... Review, kudasai? ^^'<p> 


	12. The Rebirth of Fuji

Sara: Ta-daaaaa! You guys get this chapter a bit early cos I was in a good mood this week :D

Sky: Another tennis-centric chapter... and yeah... Niou bleeds. Sort of.

Sara: *glares at Sky* Anyways, my rants are at the bottom ~ enjoy!

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: Wah D: Sara hates hurting Syusuke. We hope you enjoy this chapter!

hoshino: WHY DOES SARA LIKE TO WRITE SAD FICS? DDDD: We have no idea. Hehe, Sara is a huge fan of Niou too, but she just had to pick up on him in this fic ;) And (going along with your review to our other story ~) ... yeah, Sara has her bipolar moments. The idea just popped into her head the week before Tezuka's birthday, so she decided to write about it... for his birthday present... even though it's not exactly a happy present ^^' SARA IS SOSOSOSOSO sorry for what she had to do, but yeah xD She can't control her 'muse'.

Kissy Fishy: They were regulars in their second year, it just fit better if they were in their first for this fic ^^' Poetic license? lol This is fanfiction, after all.

~anonymous reviewer~ Intelligence doesn't necessarily mean common sense. And Fuji can't help that he's a tensai, c'mon. It's not like he _asked_ Yuuta to hate him, it just... happened of its own accord?

lemon-and-chai: ... Tezuka didn't speak much anyways lol. He was probably just like 'oh, this kid can play tennis. Maybe I'll have to defeat him in the future' xD Cos that's how the stoic freshman Tezuka Kunimitsu might have thought xD

Arctic Symmetry: YESSSS :D We're glad that someone picked up on that! Perfection doesn't come just by chance ~ and also, Fuji had to develop all of his counters before he used them. So :D Thanks for reviewing!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! xx It really fuels us to write more. We hope we don't disappoint! And now on to the story ~

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 10: The Rebirth of Fuji: Echizen versus Niou

People gasped and shouted as a small pool of blood formed around the data man, and someone yelled to call the ambulance. As Inui was carted on a gurney into the back of a white van and Kaidoh clambered in behind him, Yanagi was shouting at Kirihara for his stupidity.

"You could have killed him! Ignorant fool! Did you not realize what you were doing to his body?"

"If I recall correctly, _you _didn't say anything to stop me," the now normal Kirihara grumbled irritably. He agreed that he did go a bit too far this time – though really, when did he not? But Rikkaidai had the win so what was all the fuss about?

Yanagi merely glared at the seaweed-haired man.

"Nya, will Inui be all right?" Kikumaru whimpered from the other side of the stadium as he clung to Oishi.

"Ah, Eiji!" Oishi gasped as he tore his best friend's hands off of him. "He should be fine, the doctors know what they're doing."

Then a placid woman's voice spoke, magnified in the stadium. "Seishun Gakuen's Inui-Kaidoh pair is unable to play, so the win goes to Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Yanagi-Kirihara pair."

Yanagi glared daggers at Kirihara, who shrugged but looked quite happy at their victory.

_Always win, Rikkaidai. Let's go, let's go Rikkaidai!_

"The next match is Singles 2: Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Niou Masaharu versus Seishun Gakuen's Echizen Ryoma."

"Che," the brat scoffed, fixing his FILA cap. "This'll be an easy win."

"Nya, ochibi, it better be!" Kikumaru cried as he glomped Echizen. "We can't lose another game, otherwise the title will go to Rikkaidai!"

"Mada mada dane, Kikumaru-senpai. I'll win and let you and Oishi-senpai play your game, and then it's all up to Buchou here."

Everyone within earshot turned to stare at Tezuka, who glowered at them in return. They turned away in haste, striking up conversations with their neighbours about trivial things like the weather.

Echizen smirked and sauntered onto the court, as if he had all the confidence in the world – which he probably did. Niou's answering smirk was even wider, and Oishi stood by Tezuka, still worried.

"That's Rikkaidai's Trickster, right? Niou Masaharu? Maybe Echizen should be careful," the mother hen fretted.

"Ah," Tezuka answered. Oishi seemed surprised that the captain didn't have so much confidence in the freshman who would be Seigaku's Pillar of Support in the coming year.

"Niou Masaharu, the Trickster of Rikkaidai," Tezuka said slowly, as though he could read Oishi's thoughts. "Even Inui doesn't have any usable data on him. He has the ability to copy the playing style of any tennis player in the world. It is similar to Wakato Hiroshi's ability from Josei Shounan, except that Niou Masaharu doesn't need any practice beforehand, and he can also assume the precise appearance of a player. Do you remember what he said earlier, about Fuji?"

Realization dawned on Oishi, and he looked at the two players who were having a stare down on the court.

"Be careful, Echizen," he muttered.

./. .\.

"One set match! Seigaku's Echizen to serve!"

"Puri," Niou smirked from across the net as he lazily rocked back and forth on his heels. "This will be Rikkaidai's win."

Racket in his right hand, Echizen answered with a quick "mada mada dane". Then he tossed the ball high in the air and served.

"There it is! Echizen's Twist Serve!" Horio announced knowingly as Echizen jumped and reached into the sky with his racket.

The ball bounced directly toward Niou's face, and he ducked to avoid it. The thing drilled a dark green circle into the wall behind him. Niou was surprised – the twist had certainly gotten sharper than when he had last seen it.

_Tricky one, aren't you? _he thought, glancing up at the mark with a newly-kindled interest. _Well, I'll show you who the _real _trickster is._

Niou closed his eyes and opened them again, except instead of their usual colour, they were now a piercing blue.

A replica of Fuji Syusuke now stood on the court, eyes open and dangerous.

Echizen staggered backward and tripped on his shoelaces, landing painfully on his back.

_Nani…?_

Fuji – or Niou – laughed. It was horribly wrong, the sound of Niou's voice coming from Fuji's mouth. It was surreal. Echizen wanted to cringe, to run away, but as Seigaku's Super Rookie, he could do nothing more than stare.

"How does it feel to play your teammate who is dead?" Niou/Fuji laughed, a wicked smile twisting his lips. Cerulean irises surveyed the fallen freshman before him, twinkling with malice and cunning.

"The bastard…" Momoshiro growled, not charging onto the court only because Oishi and Kawamura were restraining him by the arms. "How can anyone be so cruel…!"

Another wave of grief hit the regulars, especially Tezuka. The crowd was quiet, staring open-mouthed at the fake Fuji.

It was Seigaku's fans who recovered first.

"_Echizen! Echizen! Echizen! Echizen!_" they cried at the top of their lungs.

But Rikkaidai's side countered with a passionate, "_Niou! Niou! Niou! Niou!_"

Echizen shook his head, telling himself, _It's just an illusion. This isn't the real Fuji-senpai…_

But even so, he couldn't help but feel his stomach clench at the sight of his deceased teammate.

"Fault!" the umpire called when Echizen served into the net. "Double fault! 15-all!"

"Nyaaaaa, ochibi!" Kikumaru was practically pulling his hair out in anxiety. "If he keeps this up it's going to be a total shut-out!"

Echizen lost his cool. And the first five games, not to mention. Niou had mastered all of Fuji's Counters without even having to practice them, pulling out shots like Hekatonkeiru no Monban and Tsubami Gaeshi effortlessly.

_What will you do now, Echizen?_ Seigaku's Pillar of Support thought as the rest of his teammates were going crazy with apprehension.

"Come _on_, Echizen! We're going to lose!" Momoshiro shouted, and the other Seigakuans cheered words of encouragement and desperation.

Meanwhile, a few rows up in the stands, Akutsu Jin was _pissed off_, watching the brat play as the rest of Yamabuki screamed Seigaku's name. Dan Taichi sobbed beside him, and he felt like he wanted to pound the _fucking brat's face in_. He remembered when the brat was dejected and discouraged after he played Sanada Genichirou for the first time, and how he had to _force_ him to _fucking fight back_. Why did he care so much, the normally apathetic Akutsu Jin? He didn't know, maybe it was because the brat was the first person to ever challenge him, to ever _beat _him. He didn't know. Akutsu flicked away the rest of his definitely-not-legal cigarette and clenched his fists in impatience. _Fight back, you fucking brat! Fight back like you did when you played _me_! Fight back or you're going to fucking _lose_ for you and_ _your entire fucking team!_

All the while, Echizen was looking at the strings of his racquet, a thoughtful smile playing at his lips as a blast of wind whipped his hair around his face.

_Che. So that's how it works_, he thought bemusedly, looking up at the sky. He smirked and pointed at the fake Fuji with his racquet. "Mada mada dane."

Niou's smile faltered for a moment, but he regained his composure and laughed again.

"You're already lost the first five games, Echizen! There's no use in trying now. The victory will go to Rikkaidai!"

_Always win, Rikkaidai. Let's go let's go Rikkaidai!_

Niou served Fuji's Disappearing Serve, and before Echizen made contact, the ball seemingly vanished. But Echizen changed his grip at the last second before hitting the ball, and returned it easily to Niou's forehand.

Surprised, Niou hit a Tsubame Gaeshi, but Echizen already charged to the net to volley the ball before it bounced.

A while into the rally, Kawamura asked uncertainly, "Is it just me, or is the ball getting lower and lower over the net?"

And sure enough, Kawamura was right, and the ball was almost touching the net now. There was a _click_ when the ball was actually low enough, and it soared high into the air, carried by a gust of wind.

"It's a chance ball!" Momoshiro cried, jumping up into his seat as though he too wanted to reach for the ball. "Smash it Echizen!"

"No!" Oishi countered, his eyes also following the ball in the sky. "Niou has Fuji's Higuma Otoshi that will render the smash useless!"

But Echizen merely smirked in response and lobbed the ball. It was just an ordinary lob, though. It came pelting down from the sky, and Niou grinned. He could hit this shot, couldn't he? The boy had to be joking if he thought he was going to win with these childish games!

But the ball sped up, faster and faster as it came closer to the ground, and when it bounced and flew toward the alley and into the stands. Sparks flew like stars, like _fireworks_ in the bright sunlight.

An ominous murmuring went through the crowd, and the fake Fuji's eyes were wide open in disbelief.

"0-15!"

Echizen's smile widened and he called out so that everyone could hear, "That's Fuji Syusuke's Sixth Counter, the one he developed specially for the National Finals! It's called Hoshi Hanabi!"

Seigaku was cheering their heads off at this, because Fuji was still _there_ somehow, this Counter made him feel alive again…

_That brat!_ Akutsu thought, _almost_ smiling a smug smile. _He sacrificed the score so he could get the timing right_!

_That boy never changes._ Tezuka's thoughts strayed to that last day, when Fuji was joking with him while watching Echizen and Horio play. He had half the mind to turn to his side to ask his friend about the freshman's form.

The fake Fuji grimaced and served again as Seigaku's cheers grew louder and louder.

_Seigaku! Fight-o! Fight-o!_

There was something about the move that Niou couldn't copy. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen the real Fuji use the move, or _something_, but he knew that he couldn't use it; Echizen had played his trump card.

During the next rally, Echizen put a severe underspin on a forehand, then flipped the racquet over with a flick of his wrist, putting even more of a spin on the ball.

"Your ball won't go over the net," he muttered. And sure enough, Niou's ball dropped as it reached the net, as if pulled down by an invisible force.

"It's Fuji's Hekatonkeiru no Monban!" someone in the crowd cried.

Hoshi Hanabi. Hekatonkeiru no Monban. Tsubame Gaeshi, Higuma Otoshi, Hakugei, Kagerou Zutsumi, Hou Gaeshi, Kirin Otoshi, Hakuryu, and Disappearing Serve. Echizen used them all, and it was like watching the _real_ Fuji on the court again.

_Fuji! Fuji! Fuji! Fuji!_ the crowd now screamed.

It was Seigaku's match point now, and Niou was shocked into disbelief. How could he lose, when he was winning five-love just minutes before? How could this brat beat him, Rikkaidai's trickster? He gripped his racquet tighter and was determined to counter Echizen's moves with all he had.

Echizen served _underhand_ this time, and Niou knew it was coming, the Disappearing Serve. If he could only make contact…

"Game and match, Seigaku's Echizen! Seven games to five!"

The ball bounced off of the barrier and rolled toward Niou's feet. He fell to his knees in defeat.

_Fuji! Fuji! Fuji! Fuji!_

There was an uproar and four of the eight Seigaku regulars stormed the court, engulfing Echizen in hugs. Tezuka stayed behind, watching Niou turn back into himself.

"Mada mada dane," Echizen said when he escaped his teammates' clutches.

Niou shook his hand and shrugged, still looking a tad dejected. "It'll still be Rikkaidai's win."

"We'll see." Echizen responded with a shrug of his own, as the crowd continued to shout, _Fuji! Fuji! Fuji! Fuji!_

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><p>Sara: ... Merh. I'm not a huge fan of Echizen, I'd rather have Kawamura play, but this was for my friend on the tennis team (whose nickname is Ochibi-chan, by me of course). This chapter was sort of crappy but it's there xD You're welcome Ryoma-chan ~ Andandand! I LOVE the Akutsu part in this chappie xD Even though a lot of people hate him for being an ass, there is something about him that I sort of like xD<p>

Sky: ... Anyway... Reviews are welcome...

Sara: Tralalala...


	13. Pain Without Love

Sara: This is a shout out to all of you who are/were being abused, physically or mentally. You're incredibly, incredibly strong people. Don't let anyone get you down!

Sky: This chapter goes into Fuji's past abuse ~ so get those tissues ready.

Disclaimer: We do not own Prince of Tennis or The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus or Three Days Grace (chapter title ;)).

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><p>Review time ~<p>

phoenixfirekitsune: Hehe, well we had to give Echizen his moment of glory ~to make my friend happy lol~ We hope you enjoy this chapter!

LiveInTheMomentx: Thank you so so much! We knew you all would miss Fuji ;)

Sakoori: Ahahahaha, thank you! Sounds a bit like an advertisement xD But we're so glad you like it!

lemon-and-chai: D: D'awwww! Get ready for another tear-jerker!

hoshino: I swear I won't kill anyone else! Wait... *looks at future chapters* Nope, no one! But this is still a very very sad chappie :'(

THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING :DDD

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><p>Living Hell<br>Short Story 3: Fuji's Twelfth: Pain Without Love  
>Face down in the dirt, he says that it doesn't hurt. ~ Face Down, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus<p>

Fuji sat still and silent in his room, listening to his mother and father argue downstairs.

_Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,_ he chanted in his head, trying to drown out his parents' voices. They were arguing about his father's job again, he didn't make enough money, but who was she to talk, his father said, all _she _did was travel around the world to spend _his_ hard-earned cash.

Yuuta and Yumiko weren't home, thank goodness. Yuuta was staying in the St. Rudolph dorms for the night and Yumiko was at her fiancé's place, so that left Fuji alone to deal with his parents' mess.

They had been arguing more and more often lately - mostly about money - especially after Yuuta left Seigaku for St. Rudolph. Staying in a dorm was expensive, you know. Fuji felt partially responsible for his parents' stress, but what could he do about it? He hadn't really _asked_ them to argue about every single trivial thing that went on in the house, had he?

After an hour or so, the voices died down, and Fuji dully wondered if it was safe to go downstairs. His stomach positively _ached_ with hunger, so he decided to take the risk and sneak down to the kitchen to grab some food.

He crept down the stairs, being careful not to make the older steps creak, and stole into the kitchen. But he froze before he could step foot in the doorway.

His father was standing over his mother, his arm raised and his hand clenched in a fist. His mother lay, shaking and cowering, against the cold hard kitchen floor. There was a purple bruise blooming where his father had struck her on the cheek.

"No!" Fuji cried, lurching forward to grab hold of his father's wrist before he could strike again. "Don't hurt her!" But all he received was a harsh slap across the face. His cheek stung, and he could feel the metallic taste of blood on his tongue.

"Don't you _dare_ stand up for her, the nasty, ungrateful _bitch_!"

"Please, Father, calm down, you two can talk about this in the morning, when you've thought it through!" Fuji begged. It had been years since he'd called him 'Daddy'. He saw his father kick his mother in the stomach, and he winced, as though _he_ had been hit.

The older Fuji rounded on his son. He struck the latter hard in the ribs, knocking all of the breath out of him, and Fuji fell on all fours, gasping.

"Father, no!"

But Fuji's father beat his wife and eldest son until both of them were on the verge of unconsciousness. Fuji's only coherent thought was about how much _pain_ he was in, and _how_ could his father do this to them? When had he turned so _violent_?

Fuji saw his father's face loom before his eyes, his fist raised again, before he blacked out.

./. .\.

_It's cold_, Fuji thought. _I'm dead, and it's so cold._

But death shouldn't be this uncomfortable, should it?

_Everything hurts._

He was face down in the kitchen, he knew, the cold tiled floor pressing against his cheek. He tried to move but his body didn't seem to want to cooperate. He could feel the bruises that made his muscles ache, the scratches that made his shirt stick to his skin with dried blood.

_Holy fucking hell, everything _hurts_._

_I'm not dead_, he then thought. _I'm in so much pain but _I'm not dead.

He didn't know whether to feel grateful or sorry for himself.

His thoughts ended up straying to last night's events, the hunger, the shouting, the beating. As his stomach gave a huge rumble, Fuji thought, _Mother_.

At this he shot into a sitting position. _Bad idea_. His head spun and he fell back to the floor, wanting to sleep for a thousand years.

_Mother…?_

With all of his remaining strength, Fuji sat up again, slowly this time, and looked around him. His mother was nowhere in sight, and neither was his father. He grabbed onto one of the cabinet handles and tried to pull himself up, and in a few minutes he stood unsteadily on his feet. Walking through the house, he looked at his surroundings. His mother's purse was gone, as were her coat and shoes. His father's briefcase wasn't in his office.

Fuji toddled up the stairs to his room, wincing with each step. Was it really Thursday? He had tennis practice today, and he was going to get throttled in this condition.

A note lay on the desk in his bedroom. The top line read in his mother's loopy handwriting, _Dearest Syusuke:_

_I will be leaving Tokyo for a while. I don't know where I'm going and how long I will be gone, but I cannot live in that house any longer. I hope you understand._

_I am so, so sorry that you were collateral damage in the argument between your father and me. I never wanted to see you hurt, and I hope that by my leaving your father will leave you alone._

_You are so strong, Syusuke, strong and smart. Take care of your brother and sister for me. Please give all of my love to Yumiko and Yuuta. I love you all, and I wish I could be there with you. Forgive me. I love you._

_Mum_

Fuji held the letter in shaking hands, anger, grief, and a terrible, aching sadness coursing through his body. His mother was leaving him, no _them_, with an abusive father. What the _hell_ was she thinking? But she said she loved them. He knew she was sacrificing her happiness and her relationship with her children to save them from their father's wrath, so he would have to believe her. He had to trust her and forgive her. Nevertheless, he let it all out and cried and cried and cried. He cried because, oh God did it hurt. And not just the beating. The breaking of his heart, the betrayal of his father, his mother's leaving… it was all just so _unfair_.

He placed the note in his desk drawer, got ready, and ran to school, tears still stinging his eyes.

./. .\.

Fuji reached the clubroom and ran through the door - literally. The other regulars looked at him like he'd gone mad, but he didn't care; all he wanted to do was crawl into a corner and sob like there was no tomorrow, because to him there wasn't.

So he got into a shower cubicle, still in his clothes, and turned the showerhead on high, hoping the steam and water would mask his now crumbled expression.

"Fuji… Fuji-senpai?" he heard the others call but he paid no attention, focusing on trying to muffle the hysterics that were breaking from his chest.

"I'll be out in a second! Go ahead and start practice without me." He hoped his voice sounded steady enough.

The regulars shrugged and decided to leave him alone. Fuji clambered out of the shower and peered around the clubroom. Empty. He stripped off his soaked clothes, cursing himself for not bringing spares, and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

He hadn't realized how badly he was hurt until he saw his reflection gazing back at him. His entire torso was spotted with purple and blue, deep gashes every now and then breaking the pattern. He touched his once pale skin and looked at his fingers, as if expecting for them to be painted red. How was he going to cover this up?

It seemed like his legs were fine, there was only a faint bruise on the back of his calf, so he could still wear the shorts. But he'd have to wear his jacket to cover up the wounds on his shoulders and forearms. He dressed carefully, noticing how tender his flesh was. He prayed he wouldn't have to play Momoshiro or Kawamura today.

"Fuji!" Tezuka barked when the tensai ducked out of the clubroom. "Twenty laps for being late!" He had no idea that those words would soon become a constant refrain.

"Hai, Buchou!"

Fuji ran his laps in silence. When he finished, Tezuka glanced at the courts to see who was available to play a match.

"Fuji, play with… Momoshiro once he's finished playing with Arai."

Fuji tried his hardest not to groan aloud, so instead he nodded and reached for his racquet.

_Ouch!_ A lance of pain shot up his arm at the irregular movement, and he almost cursed. Instead he put on his usual expression and turned to Momoshiro.

"Momo, go easy on me." He smiled at his kohai, who was already getting pumped.

Joy. More pain for him.

"Not a chance, Fuji-senpai," the other snickered and flashed a cheeky smile at his senpai.

Fuji sighed, and ended up beating Momoshiro six games to love.

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><p>Sara: Wahhhh D: Why do I love hurting Fuji so much? DDDDDDD: Anyways, I like the ending ~ adds a bit of comic relief, ne? Preview for next chapter: Golden Pair! Look for it soon ~ And if you'd like, drop a comment :3 andor read the last chapter of our three-shot, Coming Home? :D Ja xx


	14. It's Showtime!

Sara: Kyaaaaa, IT'S GOLDEN PAIR TIME! :DDDDDDD

Sky: ... Sara's very excited.

Sara: OF COURSE I am :D They're my favourite doubles pair of all time :D And also, when I play doubles at my school (doubles 1 as a freshman! oh yeah :D) I play with a girl who has a PERFECT moon volley. I'm also a serve and volleyer, and we play amazingly together. WE CALL OURSELVES THE GOLDEN PAIR :D I'm Eiji and she's Oishi and I say nya a lot xD (She likes Prince of Tennis too.) This was _exactly_ like one of our matches in the beginning of the season :3 But of course, we can't do the unnatural moves that the Golden Pair does, and we play two sets instead of one. x3

Sky: ... So she was very excited to write this chapter.

Sara: Won't you be excited when Tezuka's time to shine comes up?

Sky: ... I won't be leaping out of my seat.

Sara: *sticks tongue out* Well I am. And now on to the story! Hope you all enjoy :)

Disclaimer: We do not own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Sakoori: Yeah, we know Fuji's dad is a afjdskl;fjdkl;fjad;jf BITCH. He was based off of personal experiences. But we're glad you like this :) And thanks for reviewing our little oneshot too :D

hoshino: fjaslfjka;djflad Sara hated killing Fuji. Honestly. It killed her a bit as well D: We'll try to write a happier Perfect Pair fic soon, as soon as we have some sort of plot going in our heads :)

Kissy Fishy: Comic relief in a sad fic xD We love it.

phoenixfirekitsune: (We were thinking the same thing too!) Fuji's life is a bit tragic, yes? Hopefully Sara can do better to her favourite character next story :)

LiveInTheMomentx: WHY DOES SARA LOVE HURTING POT CHARACTERS? D: In our other fics it was Tezuka, Jirou... now Fuji? D: And (we believe) you'll get your answers to that in our next Short Story chapter :)

Again, THANK YOU ALL for reviewing :D

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 11: It's Showtime!: Kikumaru-Oishi Pair versus Marui-Kuwahara Pair

"The next match is Doubles 1: Rikkaidai's Marui-Kuwahara pair versus Seishun Gakuen's Kikumaru-Oishi pair."

The Golden Pair high-fived each other, then clutched each other's hands. This would be their last match together before they graduated from Seigaku, and they wanted to end their middle school tennis careers with a _bang._

"We can do this, Eiji! We're going to become the number one doubles team in Japan!" Oishi said, his voice alive with excitement.

"Hoi hoi! Let's go Oishi!" Kikumaru replied cheerfully, and the Golden Pair took their places on the court.

"_Kakoi~!_" girls shouted, cupping their hands over their mouths so the two boys would hear them. "_Ganbatte, Kikumaru-senpai, Oishi-senpai!_"

Kikumaru grinned and blew kisses to the girls who, by the way, fainted in excitement. Rolling his eyes a little, Oishi steered his partner to his place just behind the net.

Meanwhile, Rikkaidai's best defense player and volleyer stood across from them. Marui popped his green-coloured gum bubble and adjusted his wrist weights so that they were more comfortable.

"I don't think that we'll have to take our weights off for this one, eh Jackal?" Marui sneered. "Now let's see what Seigaku's Golden Pair is really about."

"One set match!" the referee called, cutting off Kikumaru's shriek of defiance. "Rikkaidai's Kuwahara to serve!"

It turned out to be a fairly even match. Not a ball would get past Kuwahara's defense, and Marui pulled out all of his special moves like Tight Rope Walking and Iron Pole Strike. Kikumaru and Oishi were working just as hard, using Kikumaru Beam and Moon Volley frequently. However, Kikumaru's stamina was depleting, as well as Marui's.

_Oishi and I are going to be the number one doubles team in Japan!_ Kikumaru cried the words in his head like a mantra. _We are not going to lose!_

But no matter how determined Seigaku's Golden Pair was, all that would matter would be the result of the match.

./. .\.

Inui lay on a bed in the infirmary, his face covered in bandages. Kaidoh paced beside his senpai, a radio in hand.

"_And the score is three-all in this incredibly close doubles match between Seigaku and Rikkaidai's number one doubles pairs…_"

Inui stirred, and Kaidoh shot a tortured glance at him.

"Inui-senpai…?"

"Kaidoh, how is the match going?" The data man's voice was still strong, although a bit muffled by the bandages. "There is a 100% chance that the score is very close."

"Fsssh. It's three-all."

"Ah," Inui said thoughtfully, sitting up. Kaidoh tried to push his shoulder down, but the data man simply glared at him behind the bandages. He looked a bit comical, his glasses over the bandages where his eyes were. "Can you take me to the stadium, Kaidoh? There will be good data to collect…"

"Fssh… The doctors say that you should stay in bed."

Inui sighed and said, "I just really want to cheer my team on. I'm sure you want to do the same."

Kaidoh's eyebrow twitched. It was true that he wanted to watch the match that would determine the best doubles team in Japan, but he was worried about his senpai nevertheless.

"Kaidoh!" Inui's sharp voice cut through his train of thought. He decided not to even try arguing. He threw his arm around Inui's shoulders and supported him as they walked out of the hospital. They didn't meet anyone who tried to stop them.

./. .\.

Seigaku's Golden Pair was in trouble. The game score was five-three in Rikkaidai's favour, and now it was 30-0. Two more points and Rikkaidai would win the championship.

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai! Two more points!_

Kikumaru was breathing harshly, and Oishi's wrist was swollen and red from strain. Rikkaidai had _wanted_ the score to be close in the beginning, they _wanted_ the match to be drawn out. Their plan was to tire out their opponents so that they would play right into their hands.

Marui hit another Iron Pole Strike, which Kikumaru was too tired to return, and the score was 40-0. Rikkaidai's championship point.

_Always win, Rikkaidai. Let's go let's go Rikkaidai! One more point!_

Kikumaru looked at Oishi in despair. Were they really going to let them win so easily? But they were both so tired and at their limits…

Across the net, Marui sneered. "Hey, Jackal, I was right! We didn't even have to take off our weights to beat these guys. Golden Pair, eh? I've seen better."

The dark-skinned Kuwahara nodded at his partner and settled himself behind the baseline, prepared to serve an ace…

"Kikumaru-senpai! Oishi-senpai!" someone called in the crowd. The four players on the court looked up, and Kuwahara served into the net.

Standing with the other Seigaku regulars were Kaidoh and Inui. They had walked all the way from the hospital and only just made it to see their number one doubles team lose.

"Inui…" Oishi muttered. He was surprised to see the data man here, in all of his bandages. What was he thinking, risking his health to see them play? But Inui merely waved at the both of them, shouting, "Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o!" with the rest. Kawamura stood more toward the back, waving the Seigaku flag and shouting "BURNING, GOLDEN PAIR! YOU CAN DO THIS, BABY!"

Kikumaru looked at the six regulars in the crowd, and he noted that a small brunette was missing with a heavy heart. Instead, he saw Fuji Yuuta and Fuji Yumiko cheering the Golden Pair on, with the rest of St. Rudolph behind them. In the next row was Fudomine's Tachibanna Kippei, who Fuji sacrificed his knee for when he played Kirihara; Rokkaku's Saeki Kojiroh, who was Fuji's childhood friend; Shitenhoji's Shiraishi Kuranoske, who played against Fuji in the semifinals; and the entire team of Hyotei Gakuen. The rest of the teams were slightly further back, shouting, "_Seigaku! Seigaku! Seigaku! Fight-o! Fight-o! Fight-o!"_

"What are you all doing here?" Kikumaru asked, startled into exhilarated laughter.

It was Atobe Keigo who answered with a shrug. "Ore-sama thinks that if anyone can take out Rikkaidai this year it would be Seigaku. We don't want to have their heads bloated if they win three times in a row." And then he added, a bit pompously, "Everyone should be awed by ore-sama's presence! Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Kikumaru gripped his racquet tighter and squared his shoulders as he looked at Seigaku's once rival teams cheering _their_ names. He couldn't let them down. He couldn't let Oishi down. And he couldn't let his Fujiko down, not now.

"Kikumaru-senpai is getting pumped!" Horio shouted, pointing to the redhead. The cheering faltered for a moment as heads turned toward Seigaku's acrobat. And sure enough, Kikumaru was twirling his racket around his wrist, fire in his eyes. He thought back to Niou's taunt earlier, the way the trickster had turned into Fuji on the court, and his insides burned with determination and hatred. He wasn't going to let them win, no! He was going to win for the sake of the Golden Pair and for the sake of his Fujiko.

"Nya, Oishi, we're going to win this!" he said to his doubles partner. Oishi took in his best friend's expression with surprise; he had never seen the redhead so determined before.

Kuwahara served a fast second serve, and Oishi returned it with a little bit of difficulty. A long rally ensued, and Marui was aggravated. His stamina was at its limit, and no amount of sugar in the world would help him now. He hit his trump card Tight Rope Walking shot, expecting the end.

But Kikumaru was ready for the shot. He returned it with ease, and when Kuwahara hit it back to his forehand, he cried, "Kikumaru Bazooka!" and hit the shot into the opposite corner. Kuwahara got to it too late, and the ball got past The Man with Four Lungs's_ nearly_ infallible defense.

"Bui!" Kikumaru crowed happily, turning to his partner and making a 'V' with his fingers.

"Eiji!" Oishi sighed, but he was elated. They could turn this game around. He smiled. "Let's win this, Eiji!"

Kikumaru knew what he meant by those words, and he closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. It was like the Golden Pair was falling into a dark abyss, and they were floating toward a golden light. Kikumaru's thoughts connected with Oishi's, and it was like they were one being. "This is it, isn't it? Our last match?" Kikumaru was thoughtful for a moment before grinning at his doubles partner and best friend. "Let's win this, Oishi."

The crowd sat with their mouths agape at the suddenly blue-gold aura engulfing the two boys. When they opened their eyes, they looked at each other with full confidence.

On the other side of the net, Marui and Kuwahara were standing with their eyes wide open.

"Those two - " Kuwahara began.

" – can Synchronize at will?" Marui finished with a gasp.

Inui muttered, "Ii, data." And then, "With Synchro, Kikumaru and Oishi put full trust in their partner's abilities, and just like that it's like they know each other perfectly. But I never knew that they could do this at will, this is getting quite interesting." He scribbled something into his notebook and continued to watch the match with a new interest. Before long, it was six games all. Marui and Kuwahara had long since abandoned their weights.

_Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o!_

"Six games all!" the umpire shouted over the din. "Twelve point tie break!"

The Golden Pair wasn't letting another point get past them. It soon was 6-0. Seigaku had managed to turn the game around, and now it was their match point.

It was a long rally. With Synchro, the Golden Pair seemed invincible, but Rikkaidai's number one doubles pair wasn't going to let them win, not this way…

Kikumaru ran up to volley, and had left the court behind him wide open. Marui gave an exhilarated laugh as he hit a hard flat shot straight at Kikumaru's face…

Kikumaru grinned and stuck his tongue out at Marui. He ducked and Oishi came behind him, prepared to hit the ball to Kuwahara's unguarded corner…

"Zanen munen mata raishu!"

_NO!_ Marui was aghast. He hadn't even thought of Oishi because all of his concentration was on the person at the net.

"Game and match, Seigaku's Kikumaru-Oishi pair! Seven games to six!"

_Fight-o! Fight-o! Seiiiiiigaku!_

Kikumaru and Oishi came back to themselves, and stared around them, listening to the crowd call their names.

Oishi looked at his partner with wide eyes, an ear-to-ear smile pulling at his lips. "We did it, Eiji!" he crid. "_We did it!_"

"Nya, Oishi, we did it!" Kikumaru tackled his best friend, and Oishi didn't even mind he was so happy. He let Eiji sit on his shoulders, flashing v's with his fingers, and shout, "Bui, bui, bui, we did it! We're the number one doubles team in Japan!" to the crowd.

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><p>Japanese TranslationsAuthors' Notes:

"Zanen munen mata raishu!" Eiji-chan's catchphrase. It literally means "Too bad, no regrets, see you next week!"

Bui ~ Again, Eiji's saying (which Sara has adopted goddammit). He flashes a 'v' with his pointer and middle finger along with this, because in the Japanese alphabet the sound for 'v' is 'bui'. At least that's what we were told :D

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><p>Sara: Kyaaaaaa, Eiji-chan *eskimo kisses* Hehe, it's so weird calling him Kikumaru, but this is third person and the beginning was mainly focused on Tezuka's perspective, so Kikumaru he is :P Anyways, I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a comment or some criticism, we always love that. Also, if you would be so kind, look at our profile page? We have an idea for a story, but we still need help with the little details. :3 Thanks for reading! :D Ja ~<p> 


	15. Seigaku's Tensai

Sara: Another short story here for you! And it's really short, which works because fanfiction is totally SCREWING UP THE FORMATTING so I have to do it all myself. *veryveryannoyed

Sky: ... She's been going on like this for a while...

Sara: ANYWAY another short story up for you all to read. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Sakoori: Ah, we're sorry, not quite the climax yet ~ wait for the next chapter! :)

phoenixfirekitsune: Singles 1 is next chapter! In the meantime we hope you like this :)

SwallowtailSoul4evr: Thanks so much! Next chapter ~

hoshino: Thanks! We just try to add as many special moves that would make the match still realistic. Or, in the Golden Pair's case, we just put the show's match down in writing ^^ And THANK YOU for reading about our other story too, and for giving us suggestions! SARA SWEARS that she won't kill off any characters in those stories. *pinky swear promise*

LiveInTheMomentx: Angst, angst, angst! At least, we think this chapter has angst in it. We're still not totally clear about what angst really is ^^

StarlightWeavers: Thank you thank you thank you thank you! :)

Again, THANK YOU ALL for reviewing :D

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><p>Living Hell<br>Short Story 4: Fuji's Fourteenth: Seigaku's Tensai

Fuji was sick of it. He was sick of _all_ of it. Sick of his friends, sick of his parents, sick of _life itself_.

But he could never be sick of tennis.

He couldn't believe that he started out playing just for fun. He never wanted to really play, he was good already so why practice? Then he met a certain Tezuka Kunimitsu and that all changed…

Fuji walked to the tennis courts under the railroad tracks, still in his school uniform and his bag slung lazily over his shoulder.

"_Tensai_," he scoffed bitterly to no one in particular. He walked up the stairs to the roof, to where the automated ball machines were. A breeze lifted his hair and jacket, and he could smell the fragrant sakura petals in the air.

"Perfect conditions," the teen murmured to himself as he stripped off his jacket, exposing his bruised forearms. The sun warmed his bare skin, and he was glad the shirt he was wearing was light-coloured.

He gripped his racket, grateful for the touch of something familiar. He slipped some coins into the meter, and the machine hummed. Fuji programmed the machine to his liking, and began to hit a few balls to warm up.

_Tensai_, he thought. _They always call me tensai._

To back this up, he hit a perfect Hakugei and caught the ball as it bounced back to him. Tsubame Gaeshi, Hecatoncheires no Monban, Hoshi Hanabe… Fuji hit all of his counters perfectly, each time his anger growing.

"Is this what a tensai truly is?" he cried to no one but himself.

When the machine ran out of steam, Fuji dropped to his knees. He clutched the fabric of his shirt as if to smother the tearless sobs that escaped his chest.

_Fuji Syusuke _must_ be a tensai_, he could hear like a bee buzzing in his ear. _He never pays attention to the lesson, but always ends up at the top of his class. He can speak several languages, play piano, and he truly is a master at tennis. Did you hear he was said to have even more potential than Tezuka-buchou? And he can stomach Inui-sempai's health juices. A true tensai at everything! And he's quite good-looking too…_

Fuji wanted to scream, wanted to shout, wanted to deny these false compliments. Were they mocking him? he wondered. Did they know that he could hear them? Once they started whispering behind his back, he wanted to strangle them, choke off the air that allowed them to form the words.

Now he could hear other things, uglier things, in his mind.

_He lost to Tezuka-buchou? But didn't he win against him in his first year?_

_Ah, but Tezuka-buchou was injured, and Fuji didn't know it,_ another voice whispered nastily in his ear. Fuji held his head between his hands, trembling, trying to smother those faceless voices that would lead him to insanity.

_But Fuji-senpai is supposed to be stronger than Tezuka-buchou! Buchou must be really strong, to beat the tensai of Seigaku, Fuji Syusuke!_

Fuji replayed that match in his head, the match of his – and maybe even Tezuka's – life. How could his seemingly _perfect_ counters ever defeat Tezuka's Zero-Shiki Drop Shot? He pounded his fist against the court, and the looked surprised to see his skin broken. Drops of scarlet blood leaked out of the wound, coursed down his skin and into his white shirt, staining it.

He clutched his head as the voices started again. His ears rang and his temples pulsed, the space behind his eyes pounding.

Then, he saw a face jeering at him, the face of _Shiraishi Kuranoske_.

_Fuji Syusuke lost his match against the Shitenhoji player? The one with the bandaged arm?_

_He was so close to winning too, if he had only tried harder in the first half…_

_It's a good thing that Tezuka-buchou won his doubles match with Inui-senpai, otherwise Seigaku could have lost…_

_Ne, ne, now his perfect record has been broken, right? The tensai Fuji Syusuke was defeated!_

"Enough!" Fuji shouted to the heavens, his pent-up rage finally spilling. "_Enough_ of calling me tensai! Enough of saying I'm perfect! Enough of saying how I _finally_ screwed up!"

Now his father's face loomed in his vision, distorted with anger after his losing the match against Shiraishi. A heavy hand came up to slap him across the face. He could taste blood in his cheek.

_How _dare_ you come crawling back here after you _lost_! If you can't be good at anything else at least be good at tennis! And now you went and _lost_, of what use are you now?_

The tears finally spilled over, and Fuji dropped to all fours, gasping as a wall of emotion crashed over him. He wanted this to end, to stop, he wanted to die…

But no. Faces flashed before his eyes. Eiji's fire-red hair and bright smile dominated his vision. Then it was Kawamura's timid expression, quickly changing maniac as he grasped his racquet. Oishi's worried gaze. Inui's sharp and speculating stare. Momo's child-like, careless grin. Kaidoh's bitter frown. Tezuka's stoic visage and unhappy eyes…

He thought of his team, and he thought of how much they _needed_ him in order to win the National Tournament.

Okay. Okay just one more year and it would all be over. He would help his team win the Nationals, and then it would all be over. He could end his life…

Fuji smiled acidly as a breeze blew over him, soft like a baby's breath. One more year…

_If I am a tensai, then I pity anyone else who is_, Fuji thought as he put more coins into the machine.

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>Sara: Oh gosh, is it good that I enjoyed writing this chapter? Why do I love hurting Fuji so much D: Anyways, next chapter is singles one! I suppose you all know who will play, Seigaku's Pillar of Support versus Rikkaidai's Child of God! Stay tuned ;D By the way, again, sorry for the crappy formatting and very short chapter. Curse you, fanfiction! Comments are always welcome ~ <div> 


	16. Pillar of Support vs Child of God

Sara: HERE IT IS -

Sky: THE ONE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR -

Together: SINGLESSSSSSSSS 1 WITH TEZUKA KUNIMITSU VERSUS YUKIMURA SEIICHI.

We will stop being annoying now. ENJOY!

Disclaimer: We do not own Prince of Tennis.

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Sakoori: Your patience has been rewarded! :)

phoenixfirekitsune: Oh jeez, we forgot about Echizen in the last chapter, didn't we? Thanks for pointing that out so we can go back and edit that :) :)

Kissy Fishy: Thanks :D

hoshino: Haha, it's ok :) We're so glad that you're still putting up with all the sadness and angst this far in! *virtual cookies for you*

LiveInTheMomentx: Hehe, thank you! ^^ And thanks too for reviewing our other story :D

StarlightWeavers: Seriously, every time we see your reviews we break out into this maniacal grin. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING OUR DAY THAT MUCH BETTER :DDD

Again, THANK YOU ALL for reviewing :D

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 12: Pillar of Support versus Child of God: Tezuka versus Yukimura

"The last match between Rikkaidai Fuzoku and Seishun Gakuen is Singles 1: Rikkaidai Fuzoku's Yukimura Seiichi versus Seishun Gakuen's Tezuka Kunimitsu."

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

_Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o!_

Everyone in the stands stood up in their seats, craning their necks to see the two captains face off at the net. This was sure to be a memorable match, a match that would make middle school tennis history.

Yukimura was… annoyed, to put it frankly. He was a captain who normally tried to put on a calm face, much like Seigaku's Fuji Syusuke, but now he looked agitated. He was so strict with his team, so _careful_ when he chose the line up, and he _still_ had to play Singles 1. Honestly, he didn't know if he could withstand a match with Seigaku's Pillar of Support after the surgery that cured him of his disease. Nevertheless, he planned to end it all in less than fifteen minutes. After all, he had never failed his team before, had he?

Tezuka, meanwhile, was stretching his arm and shoulder, making sure that everything was in order after his rehabilitation in Germany. The muscles were warm and limber, and he was glad. He looked to Yukimura Seiichi, the man who was labeled the Child of God because of his strength. He was the strongest of Rikkaidai's Three Demons, and his record was undefeated in all the years that he played.

Yukimura's Rikkaidai jersey rested on his shoulders, and he tied a green headband around his soft blue hair. Both he and Tezuka walked to the net and shook hands. It was almost like earlier in the day, when Yukimura had said, "Good luck today, Tezuka," but now Rikkaidai's captain looked stern and serious and he had all of the confidence in the world. In the past he hadn't let anyone even win a single game off of him, and Tezuka Kunimitsu wasn't going to change that now.

The two strongest middle school players in Japan met at the middle and shook hands, grabbing each other's fingers a bit too harshly.

_I'm going to bring that medal to you, Fuji_, Tezuka thought once they had let go. Yukimura smirked.

"The win will go to Rikkaidai," he said in a loud, clear voice so everyone could hear. "Seigaku won't stop our three year winning streak."

_ Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

Tezuka's expression tightened, and his glasses flashed in the bright light. "We'll see about that."

"One set match! Rikkaidai's Yukimura to serve!"

_Always win, Rikkaidai! Let's go, let's go, Rikkaidai!_

The crowd shouted louder and louder as more team members from other schools joined in the cheering. His heart lifting a bit, Tezuka leaned on the balls of his toes, flexing his fingers around his grip.

_Seigaku will win the Nationals._

Yukimura served into the corner of the box, presumably an ace, but Tezuka was quick on his feet and returned the ball to Yukimura's left side. Rikkaidai's captain put an incredible spin on the ball, hitting it to Tezuka's backhand. Yukimura snickered at Tezuka's drive and returned it cross-court, where Tezuka couldn't reach it.

"Fifteen love!" the umpire bellowed.

"Thirty love!"

"Forty love!"

"Game, Rikkaidai Fuzoku! One game to love!"

Yukimura took his position at the baseline. It would be this easy! How had Sanada lost to this man? he wondered. Oh well, he would redeem his teammate and friend by slaughtering the man to whom he lost not so long ago.

Tezuka served, a No Touch ace that would leave ordinary players flustered after swinging at air. However, Rikkaidai's captain was no ordinary player. Yukimura returned the ball with ease to Tezuka's backhand. The latter sent it right back, and Rikkaidai's captain prepared to hit a winner…

"Out! Fifteen love!"

_Nani?_

_Nani?_

_Nani?_ the crowd whispered.

_Yukimura Seiichi, the Child of God, hit a ball out?_

_Impossible!_

"What just happened?" Sakuno asked, clutching her hands to her chest, silently praying for everything to be okay.

"Tezuka Phantom," Inui supplied, making them all jump. He truly had a knack for appearing from absolutely nowhere. "It's like the opposite of Tezuka Zone. Tezuka puts such a spin on the ball so whenever the opponent returns the ball, it goes out. However, it is just as strenuous on his elbow as if he hit the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, or used Tezuka Zone."

"Che. Just like Buchou to pull out something like that," Echizen remarked, touching the brim of his hat in respect.

"Out! Thirty love!"

Sure enough, Tezuka's elbow ached in protest, and he clutched it briefly before returning to his position. He knew that to win against Yukimura Seiichi, the Child of God, he had to unlock all of his best shots – even if it meant sacrificing his elbow and future as a tennis player.

_Fuji, I will win today and bring you that championship medal._

So he gritted his teeth and lasted through the next two rallies. He wondered whether Yukimura was letting him win these points purposely, but he didn't have much time to think before he had to return the ball again. Tezuka ran Yukimura around the court, testing the demigod's vertical movement. He gave a satisfied sigh as Yukimura's jersey fluttered in the breeze.

"Out! Forty love!"

Tezuka's elbow was now positively screaming at him to stop this, to end this pain before he ruined his future forever.

Then, Yagyuu realized, "Look at Yukimura-buchou's jersey."

As Yukimura dashed forward again, his jacket fell off of his shoulders to the ground, landing at his feet.

"Out! Game, Seigaku, one game all!"

_Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o!_

Yukimura picked up his jersey, now smeared with dirt, and threw it over the back of his bench. _Good job, Tezuka he mused. Now I'll have to get serious._

_Come_ on _Kunimitsu_, Tezuka thought as he clutched his throbbing elbow again. _Don't be so weak now. Don't let your guard down._ He walked to the bench to take a long pull from his water bottle.

"You should forfeit, Tezuka," Ryuzaki-sensei told him as she handed him his towel. "With that arm you have no chance at winning, and you'll end up ruining your future career."

"Seigaku will win the Nationals," Tezuka replied simply. He looked to his teammates, who were all on their toes with worry. Seigaku's flag fluttered in the breeze as Kawamura held it limply in his hands. Oishi, examined Tezuka's bad arm, touching sensitive points here and there. Even though the captain barely winced, Oishi knew that he was in horrendous pain.

On the other side of the court, Yukimura was screaming in his head. He had _never_ let another person win a game off him before, and _who was this guy_ to change that now? He had known that Tezuka Kunimitsu, the Pillar of Support for Seigaku, was strong, but this strong? Yukimura couldn't have even guessed.

But Tezuka was holding his elbow gingerly now, as though in immense pain. When Yukimura finally noticed this, he allowed himself a grim smile. Even though Tezuka won the first game, he was destroying his arm in the process.

_This will be Rikkaidai's win. We'll be the champions for three years in a row and_ you_, Tezuka Kunimitsu, aren't going to change that._

Yukimura served and Tezuka returned the ball with extraordinary power, considering his condition.

"Muga no Kiyochi…" Oishi murmured under his breath.

Yukimura, however, was having no trouble returning Tezuka's balls, and the two rallied for what at least seemed to be five minutes. Another Tezuka Phantom appeared, and the point ended with a time of six minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

"Out! Love fifteen!"

"Game, Tezuka! Two games to one! Change courts!"

_Tezuka, I'm impressed_, Yukimura thought as the two captains passed each other to speak with their coaches. _I hadn't expected you to hold up this far. Your strength as well as tenacity has tested even me, but you must be reaching your limit now._

Tezuka rolled his shoulders and flexed his elbow. Everything still seemed to be okay even though his elbow agonized him, but he'd been in worse pain before. He tossed the ball high into the air.

_Fight-o! Fight-o! Seiiiiiigaku!_

"Fifteen love!"

_Nani?_

Yukimura looked around him, searching for the ball. Where could the damn thing have gone?

The net fluttered but there was no breeze, so Yukimura squinted for a bright green orb…

The tennis ball touched the net then, and stopped before rolling away. Tezuka straightened with a smug look on his face.

"Zero-Shiki Serve," Inui commented before the freshmen could ask. "Like Tezuka's Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, once it hits the ground the ball rolls to the net without even bouncing. It'd a deadly serve because it would be illegal to hit in the air. However, like Tezuka's drop shot, Tezuka Phantom, and Tezuka Zone, the strain on his elbow is tremendous. It'll be interesting to see how long he can serve like that."

"How can you say this is interesting, Inui-senpai!" Momoshiro exclaimed. "Yukimura is going to ruin Buchou's arm!"

"Fssh, shut up, baka," Kaidoh hissed at his eternal rival.

"_Make me_, Mamushi!"

"Fssh… You wanna go right now?"

"You two, be quiet!" Oishi sighed in exasperation, not taking his eyes off of the match.

"Thirty love!"

_Fight-o! Fight-o! Seiiiiiiigaku! Ganbatte!_

Tezuka braced himself as another lance of pain shot up his arm. Four more games, just for more games…

"Fault!" the umpire shouted. "Double fault!"

Tezuka hunched over, watching as Yukimura's eyes flashed knowingly. _This will be the end of you, Tezuka_, those eyes read. _You will never play another match again._

"Double fault! Thirty all!"

_I can't see_, Tezuka thought suddenly as his world went black. _I can't hear._ The crowd, to him, was nonexistent. It was as if he'd been trapped in a silent, vacuumed box. He gripped his racquet tighter. If he couldn't see or hear, he would just have to _feel_.

Seigaku's buchou calculated in his mind what kind of shots Yukumura would hit, and he timed his swing accordingly, his data tennis rivaling even Inui. The Child of God was thoroughly mesmerized and nodded approvingly. _That Tezuka sure is something. He can't see or hear, yet through experience alone he can return my shots._

_Well, I'll just have to change that._

Yukimura put a severe slice on the ball so that it floated in the air a bit longer than usual when he hit it. Tezuka swung foolishly, only catching air. The crowd laughed nervously, but none of them knew what was going on. How could Tezuka, who was throttling Yukimura just a minute ago, miss such an easily returnable shot? Was he tiring so quickly?

Tezuka served a regular serve, not having enough energy or mental capacity to hit another Zero-Shiki Serve. This time Yukimura hit the ball with a tremendous amount of topspin, and it bounced high over Tezuka's head before landing in the stands.

Sanada Genichirou wrinkled his nose, remembering when he played Yukimura as a first year. The other Rikkaidai regulars looked at him questioningly, so he said, "When Yukimura plays, he robs his opponent of his senses. Sight, hearing, touch… It is like you're in a black vacuum in your head." He wrinkled his nose again. "It's not only physically demanding when you only have your mind to rely on, but also mentally handicapping once you realize you're only swinging at air."

"Game, Rikkaidai Fuzoku! Two games all!"

Tezuka fell to his knees, barely feeling the sensation as his senses were ripped away from him. The darkness was infinite, so all-consuming that he couldn't even see his hand right in front of his nose. He let himself succumb to the panic as he blinked and blinked but still could not see anything.

_I will not lose!_ he shouted in his head. _Seigaku will win the Nationals!_

Memories flashed before his eyes. His first day at Seigaku, meeting the tennis team, beating all of the regulars there with his non-dominant hand. Falling to the ground as a team member shattered his elbow with his racquet, Fuji's helping him up and giving him an ice pack, his threatening to quit the tennis team. Going to Germany to get his arm healed, coming back to find that the Seigaku team, _his team_ was going to Nationals…

Fuji's last words rang in his head like a siren song.

_This is my escape… from my personal hell._

_Is life really hell though?_ Tezuka raised his racquet to eye level, squinting at it as though he could still see. He tried to remember the feel of the grip, the slight stickiness of it when he would sweat. His thoughts drifted to when he first started playing tennis, when he first held a racquet. He remembered the thrill when the strings came in contact with the ball. He remembered why he started playing tennis, not because he wanted to win, but because he _loved_ it.

Light… yes, there was light! Just a tiny pinprick, but it was like the light at the end of a long, long tunnel, and Tezuka reached for it. It swallowed him up, and he looked around him. He looked at the crowd that was cheering Rikkaidai's name. He looked at his team, who were screaming for him to get up, to keep playing, otherwise they would lose. He looked up at the sky, a startling shade of blue…

Tezuka stood up, his back to Yukimura. An eerie sort of light engulfed him, like a shiny veil of smoke…

An aura…

_Muga no Kyochi_, Yukimura thought. _But no, this isn't right, the light is too pure, too bright…_

Then the Child of God gasped.

"Teni Muhou no Kiwami," Echizen mused. "I haven't seen that door of Muga no Kyochi unlocked since my father played tennis."

"_The Pinnacle of Perfection_," Inui muttered to himself, scribbling in his notebook so fiercely that the paper could catch fire. "Ii, data."

Tezuka spoke then in a quiet voice, and the stadium fell deadly silent. He smiled, but it was as though he was already far away, in another distant land.

"Thank you, Yukimura," he said softly, "for reminding me why I really play tennis. When I first started out barely able to hold a racquet, I didn't do it to win. I didn't even do it to please my parents. I did it because I _loved_ it and I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I want to win today, yes, but that is not why I am standing here now."

"… eh?" Horio murmured quietly, breaking the dead silence. He had no idea what Buchou was talking about.

Echizen spoke up. "In the beginning of the game, Buchou was entirely focused on winning the match so that he wouldn't let Fuji-senpai down. Something must have happened when Yukimura stole his senses, because he remembered why he continued to play tennis even though his arm was injured almost beyond the point of repair. Yamato-buchou told Buchou to never become like him, but to play tennis for his own sake. My father said that there really is no Pinnacle of Perfection, it's just the state you're in when you enjoy playing tennis. That feeling, apparently, is lost as the player is absorbed in winning and losing matches rather than the actual game."

Tezuka served, and the ball whipped passed Yukimura's ear. Rikkaidai's captain barely had time to blink, let alone return it. He spun around to look at the umpire, who was stunned.

"Um… replay it on video!" the man stammered as Yukimura glared daggers at him. On the screen, the ball moved in slow motion, and showed that it barely touched the line. It was as though Tezuka was mocking Yukimura.

"F-fifteen love!" the umpire called, and then in an undertone he said, "Whew! I couldn't even see the ball."

./. .\.

The crowd was silent. The Child of God was lying on the ground, seeing and hearing nothing, his senses stripped from him. His specialty, his trump card, was used against him. Seigaku's Pillar of Support towered over him, still in the stance to hit a backhand.

Yukimura had run up to the net when Tezuka moved to hit a backhand, intending to catch the ball before it touched the ground. He had been expecting the infamous Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, and he knew that if the ball bounced it would be all over for him.

But he suddenly found himself unable to see or hear the ball, and he tripped over his sneakers and landed face-first on the court.

Tezuka had hit a regular backhand, a hard, flat shot into the left corner where Yukimura didn't have a chance of reaching it, even if he had his senses. The ball bounced a few times before rolling into the alley.

"Game and match Seigaku! Six games to two!"

_Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o!_

_I… I did it. I... did it._

Tezuka felt weak in the knees as the crowd exploded into cheering. _Seigaku!_ They shouted the new champion's name. _Fight-o fight-o Seigaku!_

The champion team's captain was ripped off of his feet as the Seigaku tennis team poured onto the court, wanting to touch Tezuka, to hold up the man who made their win possible…

With a cry, Tezuka was thrown into the air, much to his disgruntlement. All he felt like doing at the moment was sleep until the end of eternity, but then he caught sight of the sky. It was a lovely blue today. Just like Fuji's eyes, he thought.

Yukimura stood up and clutched his head, peering in wonderment at the sight before him. Seigaku's captain was being thrown into the air and caught again by the strong arms of his team, and they were screaming his name. _Tezuka! Tezuka! Tezuka! Tezuka!_

He looked back at his team, looking disheartened in their yellow jerseys, expecting a scolding from their captain. But he smiled. "Gomen, everybody," Yukimura said in a honey-sweet voice. "I let you all down."

Before the Rikkaidai team had a chance to deny this, Yukimura looked away, toward the man, the first man to ever defeat him. _Well done, Tezuka_, he thought fondly. _It was a good match. I look forward to the possibility of playing with you again._

Meanwhile, still being held up by his teammates, Tezuka sighed in contentment and gazed at the cloudless sky, a rare smile playing at his lips.

_Saa..._ he could hear Fuji's voice in his head say approvingly. _You did it, Tezuka. Seigaku won the National Tournament._

But Tezuka shook his head to himself.

We _did it, Fuji. We did it._

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>Sara: Curse you fanfiction for screwing with my formatting grrrrr... ANYWAYS I really really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned next week for another one ~ And reviews are always appreciated :)~ <div> 


	17. The Day Before the End

Sara: Another short story! And the last, too :) After this there are only two more chapters left!

Sky: Thanks for sticking with us this long, guys :)

Sara: This chapter isn't my best work, but some points in here will be necessary in the following chapters. Enjoy!

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><p>Review time ~<p>

LiveInTheMomentx: Awe, hope you're feeling better D: And thanks! :)

hoshino: Bah, we knew Tezuka would be a bit OOC. But I guess we're all really affected when one of our friends dies D: We basically based the match on Echizen's with Yukimura, but we added our own little spin to it :)

Sakoori Sakura Koori: Hehe, thanks! x3

phoenixfirekitsune: Well what comes next happens in the next chapter, but for now we hope you enjoy this short story :)

Again, THANK YOU ALL for reviewing :D

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><p>Living Hell<br>Short Story 5: Fuji's Fourteenth-and-a-Quarter: The Day Before the End

"Fujikoooooooooooooooooo!"

Fuji turned around just in time to escape an Eiji-glomp attack, leaving the redhead to crash into the door of the clubroom just as the tensai was closing it. After peeling the bemused Kikumaru off of the ground, Fuji dragged him off to class, where he planted both of them down on seats in the far corner. For the next hour, the teacher droned on about absolutely nothing, so Fuji took to his favourite habit of staring out of the window while Kikumaru nodded off beside him.

Class was dismissed for lunch hour and Fuji and Kikumaru walked to the cafeteria, the latter complaining about how boring that class was. Fuji half-heartedly scolded him for being rude to the teacher, his voice as gentle as a mother's to her child. That close-lipped smile wasn't helping his countenance either.

When the two best friends sat down at their usual table, Fuji pulled out an unfamiliar book. Kikumaru glanced at the cover of the very large and very difficult-looking volume, and he wondered aloud why his friend was reading it.

"Saa, I find this biography interesting," answered Fuji vaguely, turning another page.

"But you're reading it for _fun_!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he picked apart his tempura roll with a pair of chopsticks. "Who else in our grade reads for fun?"

"Tezuka reads for fun…"

"Yes, but he's _Tezuka_…"

Speak of the devil, Seigaku's buchou decided to show up just at that moment and sat next to Fuji with his bento. He surveyed Kikumaru behind his glasses and began eating his lunch while the redhead cringed into Fuji's shoulder, letting out a small squeak of terror. Tezuka glanced away, as though suddenly bored, and eyed the cover of Fuji's book.

"I didn't know you liked biographies, Fuji," he commented, eyes back on his food.

"This one particularly interests me, Tezuka." Another page flip. Tezuka waited for a further explanation.

Fuji understood his friend's silence, and he searched through the back of the book – it seemed like he knew it pretty well already, though neither of the other third years had seen it before. After fingering through a few pages, he held the book to Tezuka's eye level.

"'Damn it! How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?'" read Tezuka from the line to which Fuji's finger pointed. He looked quizzically at the tensai.

"This is what interests you so much about this book?" he asked with a frown. "A quote?"

"They're Simon Bolivar's last words," Fuji responded ambiguously, returning to his previous spot in the book. When Eiji looked clueless, the brunette sighed.

"Simon Bolivar was a Spanish explorer. Last words are what a person says before he dies."

"Oooh, hoi hoi! Sounds cool!" Kikumaru crowed happily and began scarfing down food as though the whole conversation hadn't happened.

After a moment of speculation, Tezuka asked, "What do you think the labyrinth is, Fuji?" He spoke slowly, carefully weighing each word in his mind as though they were chess moves.

The boy threw his head back and laughed, almost a maniac sound. For a split second, Tezuka caught sight of those unearthly blue orbs peeking through thick lashes, and the scene was almost comical. Who would possibly laugh at such a simple question?

Those eyes narrowed to slits again, and Fuji's mouth was twisted into a smirk. His expression held something that Tezuka couldn't even begin to fathom, a mixture of pain and knowing and satire.

"Life, suffering, maybe even death?" Seigaku's tensai waved an airy hand, and his voice was laced with mirth. What had been so funny? Tezuka wondered. Why was his friend mocking him?

"Nya, Fujiko, can I have some of that?"

Kikumaru's child-like voice broke through the tense atmosphere, and Tezuka could have laughed if it was in his character. The redhead's chopsticks were positioned strategically over Fuji's tempura roll, and the latter smiled a frightening smile.

"Of course, Eiji," he said sweetly, holding out the bento box. Tezuka noticed that none of the food in it had been touched.

"Nya, thanks Fujiko!"

Kikumaru took one bite of the roll, turned a nasty shade of red, and spit it out into his napkin.

"Hot!" he shouted and began to dance around like a chicken with its head cut off. "Hot hot hot!"

And Tezuka wrinkled his nose while Fuji chuckled and Kikumaru hopped around, trying to get the taste of the wasabi roll out of his mouth.

./. .\.

"Here, Taka-san."

"BURNING!"

"Hoi hoi!"

"Eiji!"

"Peach head!"

"Mamushi!"

"Ii data."

"Che. Mada mada dane."

"… Everyone, fifty laps!"

Oh, the sounds of tennis practice at Seigaku.

./. .\.

"Ne, Tezuka."

Seigaku's captain looked up from his undone shoelaces into the eyes of Fuji Syusuke. The boy was smiling in his usual way, close-lipped and happy, his hands folded behind his back. Tezuka straightened up and looked down at Fuji for a long time, speculating. That perpetual smile was unnerving at best, and Tezuka knew that his friend was out to annoy him.

They walked home in silence, a usual habit for them. However, Tezuka couldn't help but steal glances at his best friend, taking in the tense posture, the forced smile. Again, something Tezuka couldn't understand lay in that expression, that mixture of suffering and shrewdness and destruction that made Tezuka's very spine grow cold.

"Saa… What are you thinking about, Tezuka?"

The words nearly made Tezuka jump it was so quiet. It was as though the world were holding its breath. He was pensive for a while, and when he spoke, his words came out slow and calculated.

"I'm thinking about… about the labyrinth, Fuji. How can you get out of it?" His voice trailed off at the end, swallowed up by a breath of passing wind.

"Saa, you always ask the best questions, don't you Tezuka?" Fuji chuckled. "Even though you don't talk so much," he added, a wicked glint in his briefly opened eyes.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Saa…" The word was wistful, as though Fuji was deep in thought. Fuji knew the answer though, but he was trying to find a way to word it that wouldn't alarm his friend even more.

A bright smile came over his face. "It's a question that I've been contemplating for a long time, Tezuka," he said, his voice darkening. Tezuka looked into his friends now open eyes and saw a ruthless cruelty, a bitterness, and ancient grief in them that made him shiver. The colour of ice was all he could see, and he realized that they had stopped walking.

And then it was gone. Fuji retracted, closing his eyes and smiling once more as though nothing had happened. Tezuka was grateful – at least he could breathe again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tezuka," Fuji whispered, and he turned on his heel to walk back to his house. They had been walking much longer than they should have, and they were both blocks away from their respective homes.

_Damn it!_ Tezuka sighed to himself as he glared at Fuji's retreating back. _How do I get out of this labyrinth?_

./. .\.

Fuji didn't want to go home, he didn't want to face his father, he didn't want to see his brother's empty room, and he didn't want to leave Tezuka right in the middle of the road, all alone. So, as he unlocked the front door and stepped inside to feel his father's wrath, he couldn't repress a shudder.

The beating, the cursing, the shouting lasted forever. Even when Fuji woke up early in the morning, his shirt sticking to his skin with dried blood, he could fell his muscles burning and his ears ringing. Blood boiled in his brain, pulsed through his broken body.

_Denouement. Conclusion. Finale. Completion._

_End._

His only thought:

_Tonight._

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><p>Sara: I had that ending in my mind for a long time. Mainly because I just added the word "denouement" to my vocabulary, thank you very much Mr. Mendelsohn. And I thought the middle part was kinda amusing x3 Also, I got the quote idea from the book <em>Looking for Alaska<em> by John Green. READ IT. It's amazing, especially if you're a teenager. And (sorry for this long rant) if you guys read about our new story on our profile, WE FOUND A GREED PAIRING! Niou/Yagyuu. We'll see how it goes, and if it's too hard to write we'll think of something else :/ Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! Two more chapters left to go :) Reviews are always welcome ~


	18. Time to Dance

Sara: HEYA GUYS.

Sky: Technically this is the last chapter of Living Hell. But there will be an epilogue up next Saturday :)

Sara: :D Thank you guys for suffering through us for this long ~ My rants are on the bottom, hope you enjoy this chapter :D

*INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE*

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><p>Review time ~<p>

Sakoori Sakura Koori: We were actually thinking about doing that. We might try it after we finish with the Seven Deadly Sins story :X

LiveInTheMomentx: The ending is the reason why we kept the chapter in the story at all x3 We're glad you like it! :D And Paper Towns sounds amazing, will read it when we get the chance :)

SwallowtailSoul4evr, hoshino (bad! never use your iPod xD jkjk), and phoenixfirekitsune AS ALWAYS thanks for your kind reviews :D We love you guys!

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><p>Living Hell<br>Chapter 13: Time to Dance

When Tezuka was finally placed firmly on his feet, he walked up to the net to shake Yukimura's hand, this time as Japan's number one tennis player.

"It was a total loss," Yukimura said, giving his rival captain a small smile. "You're amazing, Tezuka. I hope we can play again some day."

"Ah," Tezuka replied, rather disgruntled. Even though he had loved the thrill when he played with Yukimura, he wasn't too keen on having a rematch with Rikkaidai's captain any time soon.

"Nya, Tezuka, we won!" Kikumaru cried, held back by Oishi as he made to glomp Tezuka again.

"We're the National Champions! We broke Rikkaidai's streak!" Momoshiro yelled, fists in the air.

"Che. I could've taken him on," Echizen muttered, but no one heard him.

Kawamura spoke up, "My father said that we can celebrate at our sushi shop. It's all you can eat, so I hope you all are hungry!" There were murmurs of excitement, but Ryuzaki-sensei calmed them down with a stern tittering.

"Slow down, slow down!" she shouted over the din of the tennis team. "We have to attend the closing ceremony first!"

The team groaned in protest, but they knew they had to keep up with traditions, even if it meant their stomachs growling throughout the ceremony.

In the background, there were still shouts of, _Seigaku! Seigaku! Seigaku! Seigaku! Fight-o! Fight-o!_

./. .\.

The four teams of Shintenhoji, Hyotei, Rikkaidai, and Seigaku stood in their respective positions in the stadium amid their cheering of fans. Hyotei and Shintenhoji were given bronze medals, praised for their "valiant fight". Atobe and Shiraishi nearly rolled their eyes at this statement, but they accepted the medals with respect and grace.

"The runner-up is… Rikkaidai Fuzoku!"

Yukimura stepped forward, smiling and waving daintily as the some girls in the audience shouted _I love you_'s and _You're amazing_'s. He took the small trophy from the man's hands, and his team bowed their heads as silver medals were hung over their necks.

"… and the winner of the Japan National Tennis Tournament is… Seishun Gakuen!"

The crowd went wild as Tezuka walked forward, his stern expression intimidating once again. He accepted the shining gold trophy, and Oishi took the National Champion flag in his hands, staggering at the weight. All of them received their gold medals, and they held their heads high as the crowd cheered their name. _Seigaku! Seigaku! Seigaku! Fight-o fight-o! _Eventually, though, the ruckus calmed down and after a sleuth of reporters and photographers, the Seigaku tennis team was released.

Kawamura smiled and gestured with his hand toward Tezuka.

"After you, Buchou?" he said nervously, holding the championship flag one-handedly after Oishi felt his wrist would break from the strain.

"Ah."

The seven regulars followed Tezuka out of the stadium and to the sushi restaurant, as though he were the leader of a lion pack. After all, especially in times like these, he was still their Buchou.

./. .\.

Kawamura's Sushi Restaurant was like something out of a sushi lover's dream. Trays and trays and trays of raw fish of all kinds were laid on the low tables, as were hand rolls and other signature dishes.

The Seigaku team raised their glasses and ate until their stomachs were bursting and their eyelids threatened to close. It was quiet for a long time after that, only the sound of Kawamura-san's sushi knife cutting the comfortable silence.

"Remember the funeral, nya?" Kikumaru said after a while, sad and contemplative. Everyone's head turned to face him. "Fujiko looked all sad and fragile, like a baby. I keep seeing him like that in my head and it's like I can't even remember what he really looked like anymore."

"Oh wait!" Kawamura exclaimed suddenly. He sprinted up the stairs to his room, leaving the rest of the team puzzled behind him. Before they had a chance to mutter amongst themselves, the power player came back running. He was holding several thin books in his hands, each of the covers carrying the Seishun Gakuen label.

"A yearbook!" Kikumaru crowed happily. He snatched the thing out of Kawamura's hands and flipped through the pages. "Thanks, Taka-san!"

He finally found what he was looking for. He giggled in delight as he saw his friends as young freshmen. "You look so weird with all that hair Oishi, nya!"

The vice captain grimaced and pointed at a redhead's picture in their freshman yearbook. "And what about you, with the bandage on your nose instead of your cheek?"

"I broke my nose that year, nya!"

"Excuses, excuses."

"There." Inui pointed to a picture in their senior yearbook, and everyone's eyes were drawn to his finger.

The subject of the picture was androgynous. Except for the broad shoulders and flat chest, the willowy limbs and graceful posture suggested that _he_ was actually a _she_. Smooth chestnut hair fell to the boy's chin, tickling the pale skin. His mouth was frozen forever into a laugh, and his brilliant sapphire eyes were open in a rare moment of surprise. The other team members in the background looked dull and unremarkable compared to Seigaku's tensai.

"Fujiko…" Kikumaru whispered behind his fingers. Tears were rolling down his cheeks once again, as his best friend looked so _happy_ in the picture. Not that forced, I've-got-to-be-strong type of happy, but actually _happy_. The regulars all knew that it was taken after practice one evening. The photographer had caught the moment just after the team had changed and left the clubroom, probably to go get a burger. Fuji had stood alone from the group, looking at them with fond eyes and laughing at some stunt Kikumaru had tried to pull on Buchou to make him smile.

"There's another one," Momoshiro whispered, pointing to the second yearbook. Fuji stood arm and arm with another brown-haired youth who looked disgruntled at having his picture taken. They were both holding trophies, Fuji's being small and silver, Tezuka's slightly bigger and gold. It had been after a Junior Tennis Tournament, and Seigaku's number one and two had grabbed first and second place. Regardless of placement, however, Tezuka knew that the tensai had forfeited purposely before the finals, saying that as the super rookie of Seigaku, Tezuka had a "reputation" to maintain. He couldn't _possibly _lose to Seigaku's number two.

_Pang_ went Tezuka's heart when he remembered all those times that Fuji and he should have faced off yet always ended up never playing a fair game or being on the same team. What would have happened if Fuji had gone off to another school? Tezuka wondered. St. Rudolph, perhaps? Would Fuji Yuuta, the lefty killer, be his best friend now, and his bitter enemy would be Fuji Syusuke, the tensai? He couldn't imagine _not_ having the calm, musical voice talk to him during practice, he couldn't imagine _not_ seeing Fuji greet him before they walked to school together. It was… _impossible_.

"Look. It's all of us." Echizen broke Tezuka's train of thought and pointed to another picture in the senior yearbook. It gave a description of the tennis team, naming the members and praising them for their victory at the Kanto tournament. Echizen looked bored as usual, his hat tipped so that it hid his face; Inui was bowed over his notebook, too occupied with reading his notes to glance at the camera; Kawamura looked as though he thought he didn't belong, and he stared up at where the sky would be, his arms folded behind his back; Momoshiro and Kaidoh were turned toward each other, their mouths open in mid-insult; Kikumaru was busy giving Echizen bunny ears and Oishi's hands were on his shoulders, trying to pull him away; Tezuka stood with his arms folded over his chest, casting an annoyed glance at his immature teammates; and Fuji smiled on like the chaos going on around him was nothing more than the norm. Out of all of them, he seemed the most natural and he pulled the picture together despite the disorder. The regulars all laughed at the picture, even though to an outsider they may seem insane. But to them it was just how they always were, how they always would be. They completed each other because, as the saying goes, opposites attract.

The Seigaku team spent the rest of the night scrounging through the yearbooks, laughing at some pictures, grimacing at others.

"Nya, what high school are you all going to guys?" Kikumaru piped up when they were through looking at the somewhat embarrassing photos.

"Seishun High," the four other third years chimed simultaneously. Kikumaru's eyes widened exponentially and a grin spread on his face.

"Nya, _really_? We're all going to the same high school then! We can still have the old gang together, and even play tennis together, nya!"

"Not me," Kawamura said in a faint voice, glancing up at the ceiling and colouring in embarrassment. "I'll be training to be a sushi chef, remember?"

"Nya, that's okay Taka-san! You can still come to our matches once in a while to cheer us on, right?"

The future sushi chef's face lightened up in a grin. "Of course!"

The acrobat turned to his best friend and doubles partner uncertainly. He asked, "Oishi, weren't you going to go to a special high school so you can become a doctor, nya?"

Oishi smiled sheepishly. "I convinced my parents to let me go to Seishun High," he admitted. "I told them that I wanted to be with my friends, and that I would have plenty of time to study to become a doctor when I'm in college." Then he collapsed laughing as Kikumaru glomped him, shouting, "Bui bui bui! High school is going to be so much fun when we're all together!"

"But what about you, Tezuka?" Oishi was finally able to gasp when he pulled his best friend off of him. "Weren't you going to go to Germany after graduation to become a professional tennis player?"

"Ah." The captain thought for a moment and made a face when he felt another lance of pain crush his arm as he flexed his still-tender elbow. "But I think that after I played Yukimura, I realized I need better physical therapy and a longer period to rest. Since I'll be in Tokyo for a while, I might as well go to Seishun High."

"No fair!" Momoshiro complained loudly over the heartfelt confessions. "_You_ all will be together, but Echizen, Mamushi, and I will be stuck at Seigaku!"

"Che. I don't mind. We'll take the Nationals by storm again," Echizen scoffed.

"It's just another year, Momo," Kawamura said, patting his kohai genially on the shoulder and making the latter's knees buckle in the process. "We can visit you next year, too. It's not like we'd lose touch or anything, right?"

"Fsssh, always the melodramatic one."

"What did you just say, Mamushi?"

"Fsssh, nothing…"

"Tezuka," Oishi murmured to the captain while the two second years argued, forcing Kawamura to roughly push them apart before they became violent. "You don't really want to be here now, do you?"

"Ah…" Even though Tezuka was enjoying his time, possibly the last, with his team, he had something he wanted to do, and it was weighing heavily on his mind.

"Go then. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Ah. Arigato, Oishi."

Tezuka threw his jacket over his shoulders and slipped out of the restaurant undetected, since Momoshiro and Kaidoh were now throwing sushi rice at each other. He pulled the collar tighter over his tennis uniform and hurried off in the opposite direction of his house.

The night was black, but several lampposts that were fixed to the ground illuminated the cemetery. Who was going to steal them anyway? Tezuka wondered idly. Grave robbers? Tezuka hurried on to the back of the necropolis, where a grave still looked fresh, the overturned dirt still slightly moist. Shoots of grass poked out of the edges, and Tezuka assumed that by this time next year the entire rectangle would be covered in green. The tombstone read,

Fuji Syusuke  
>29 February, 1994-25 May, 2008<br>A beloved son, brother and friend.  
>How do we get out of this labyrinth of suffering?<p>

Tezuka stared at the quote, which he hadn't noticed on the stone at the funeral. He remembered Fuji showing a similar line to him from a book, a biography of some sort. Simon Bolivar? Was he the person the book was about? "Damn it! How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" were the man's last words, the words he uttered before he died, Tezuka remembered. Fuji had been trapped in his own labyrinth of suffering for three years, and his answer for getting out was to take his own life.

A bouquet of roses stood in the vase next to the headstone. Their petals were already drying and fading to black at the edges. Who had placed them there? Yuuta? Yumiko? Maybe even Fuji's mother? Tezuka's eyes stung, and he wiped tears from them before they could escape his lashes. He fished in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the golden medal that dangled on a red string. Slowly, carefully, he draped the medal over the vase with the roses so that the bright red clashed with the pinkish maroon.

_I promised I would bring that medal to you, Fuji,_ Tezuka thought. _And I did it. We won the Nationals, Fuji, and I think it's because of you that we did. I've never seen them so determined to win before. _He thought for a moment. _When we're all at Seishun High, we will go to the Nationals and win again. Then I'll go to Germany to become a pro, and Kawamura will become a sushi chef, and Oishi a doctor, and the others whatever they want to be. But tonight we're the Seigaku tennis team, and we couldn't have gone this far without you, Fuji. _

Tezuka straightened up, brushing his fingers against cold stone, and turned around. As he walked away, he could hear the faint clink of metal against stone. The night was absolutely still though, not a breeze stirring. But if Tezuka really listened, he thought he could hear a low, musical voice say in his ear, _Thank you, Tezuka. Thank you for everything._

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><p>Sara: I just realized how long my paragraphs are in this chapter x.x I kinda didn't know how to express myself in this chapter, but I think the ending was better than the beginning. Did you guys get the reference to chapter 4? :) (Dates are approximated, by the way). This chapter is also the reason why we included the last short story (we were thinking about changing the story's name to Labyrinth or something like that, but Living Hell is still good, ne?) Um... so, since this story is ending soon (I'm sort of bittersweet about that - I really loved writing this! - we're going to celebrate (?) by writing a Fuji-centric one-shot for you guys.<p>

Sky: I must warn you though, it's not going to be happy...

Sara: *sigh* Yes, I seem to enjoy writing very sad and emotionally heavy fictions. Damn muse D: Anyway, until next time! Ja ~


	19. Rest in Peace

Sara: Oh...

Sky: my...

Sara: gosh...

Sky: This is it guys. The last chapter EVER of Living Hell.

Sara: Thank you so much for reading our story, and our rants will be on the bottom. We'll go right into the story this time. Enjoy~

INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE

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><p>Living Hell<br>Epilogue: Rest in Peace

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, you goddamn bastard."

"Hello, Momoshiro," a serious voice answered. "Or should I say, fukkubuchou?"

"Momo is fine." The spiky-haired man grinned, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. "You never got to calling me that, even though everyone else did. You're still my buchou, though, so I will continue calling you that, ne?"

"Ah."

Meanwhile, Kaidoh-buchou was yelling at the Freshman Trio to pick up their pace as they ran two hundred laps as punishment for fooling around during practice.

"Nya, Ochibi! How's my little Ochibi, nya?" A redheaded monster came pelting forward and attacked a small boy with emerald locks and a white cap.

"… That hurts, Kikumaru-senpai!" Echizen scowled and struggled against the redhead's vice-like grip. The former fukkubuchou of Seigaku laughed and peeled his best friend off of the second year before he could suffocate.

"Sorry, Echizen, Eiji's just a bit excited today," Oishi said as he restrained Kikumaru by grabbing both of the acrobat's wrists with one hand. "We haven't seen you all in a year, after all!"

"Congrats on winning the Nationals. It seems like Seigaku's going to have the three year winning streak now," Kawamura added. He was still in his sushi chef uniform and he removed the dark band of fabric that was falling into his eyes.

"Well we'll have to see how Echizen holds up next year," Momoshiro said, roughly ruffling the hair of his kohai.

"Itai! That hurts senpai!" Echizen repeated, slapping his friend's wrist.

"Fsssh… What's all this noise about?" Kaidoh looked mutinous at the thought that his practice was being disturbed, but started a little when he saw his old team members on the courts again – minus one blue-eyed, smiling tensai, of course.

"Good afternoon, Kaidoh," said Inui, smiling at his protégé. "We hope we're not interrupting anything, but we just decided to visit after our practice, just to see how you're all doing."

"Fsssh… You're welcome to watch us finish practice," Kaidoh said, embarrassed as he looked at Seigaku's former buchou in the eye. Tezuka looked back at him evenly, and nodded in approval. The almost palpable tension between the two captains seemed to break, and Kaidoh sighed heavily.

The retired Seigaku regulars observed as the new tennis team finished practice off with some static stretches and a cry of, "Thank you for your hard work!" before rushing off to shower. Kaidoh, Momo, and Echizen stayed behind with their old friends to catch up.

"So what do we do now, since we're all together?" Kawamura queried, then offered sheepishly, "Play a tennis match, for old times sake?"

Tezuka shook his head. "I have a something different in my mind," he said quietly. He looked at his team with piercing hazel eyes, and all at once they understood. There were eight regulars there, but one vital component was missing.

They walked to the cemetery in silence; they could do all the catching up pleasantries later. Tezuka supposed that they looked like an odd bunch – three of them were still in their tennis gear, one of them in a sushi chef outfit, three of them in school uniforms, and Tezuka stood before them all like the buchou he still was, dressed in casual black clothing. Even after a year of being apart, he was still their fearless, most respectable captain.

The former Pillar of Support - Echizen probably claimed that title now - of Seigaku often came to the cemetery when he was feeling frustrated or depressed or he just feel like he needed to talk to someone. Because Fuji had always been there when he needed him, he was always the person whom he could rely on for advice before he'd even have to ask.

Tezuka had been right the year before; Fuji Syusuke's grave was now covered in grass and little purple flowers. Just the faded stone indicated that his best friend was laid to rest there. Tezuka's throat closed painfully, as it always did when he came here. He had taken the medal away from the vase when he had a feeling that soon someone was either going to take it or trash it, and he kept it in the locked drawer in his desk, glancing at it every so often for what he thought to be inspiration.

"It's peaceful here," Kawamura whispered faintly, jerking Tezuka out of his trance. The former captain glanced back at his team, expecting tears or some sign of mourning.

But the team was composed and solemn; even Kikumaru merely clenched his hands into fists and held them at his sides, trembling. Their loss was etched into their faces as they took in the calm sight of the cemetery. The breeze ruffled the leaves of a Japanese maple, and the sun shone down on the place and cast a luminous light on everything. Truly, it was a good choice for their friend's final resting place.

_Was it hard to die?_ Tezuka thought suddenly. _Was it harder than living long enough to see your best friend die before your eyes? _Tezuka had once heard that dying was as easy and painless as falling asleep. If it was so easy, then why didn't everyone just off themselves to live in heaven or hell or darkness or _whatever_ is out there? He looked at his broken up team again, so incredibly strong in the past year.

_This is why I want to live_. His heart ached as Kikumaru put on a brave front and gave him a weak smile while the tears finally came pouring down his face. Oishi patted the redhead's back and he too had a sad smile on his lips. Kawamura. Momoshiro. Kaidoh. Inui. Even Echizen, who was now wandering in between the rows and rows of graves, betraying any interest. They had helped him get through the past year with his worsening injury, the death of his best friend. _They_ were his lifeline, his one hope that he could get out of this labyrinth of suffering.

Tezuka smiled. If he had them around, then he wouldn't mind living through the labyrinth a little bit longer to find the exit.

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><p>Sara: Oh my gosh. It's DONE. Thank you SO MUCH guys for reading this and reviewing and favoriting and alerting and just giving me all the inspiration in the world to finish this. I <em>hope<em> you liked it :)

Sky: Special thanks to the following for reviewing! Starry-Chan, Eru no Tsubasa, BlackCrowRaven333, hoshino, anonymous, Kissy Fishy, phoenixfirekitsune, RockPrincess410, fujiyuki, neumegami, StarlightTango, Shuzuka, 10, pdfish, The-Random-Stick-Person, lemon-and-chai, Sakoori Sakura Koori, LiveInTheMomentx, Arctic Symmetry, StarlightWeavers, SwallowtailSoul4evr, and Akiha!

Sara: Wow, that's a lot of love. Thanks guys! _Especially_ with my crappy updates and school rants and such D:

Sky: Well, on a final note, thanks for reading Living Hell! We appreciate all the support and feedback from you all. We hope that you check our other stories out, and watch out for our upcoming stories.

Sara: And with that, we bid you farewell! See you in the next story ~


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